


Useless

by plain_jane08 (awolfling)



Series: All encompassing [4]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Chronic Illness, Established Relationship, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Recovery, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-07 04:42:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 44,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1115635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awolfling/pseuds/plain_jane08
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>There’s blood running into Danny’s eye now and he wipes at it and tries to stand again. He watches his own blood drip onto the floor and it’s all wrong because he should looking at the two intruders in his office. He needs to stand up.</i>
</p><p>Stuck in the office due to a flare-up, Danny is attacked and kidnapped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo I really didn't think I'd write another multichapter in this universe. Oh how wrong I was. 
> 
> The tags may expand as I write more.

Danny has been making trips to the toilet all day and trying - and mostly failing - to get paperwork done in between. Danny’s barely been able to eat today between the pain and the heartburn and the nausea. Danny knows Steve’s been shooting him looks all day that say he wants to send Danny home but Danny appreciates that Steve doesn’t follow through. Steve comes by Danny’s office just before lunch, perching himself on Danny’s desk. His hand twitches like he wants to reach out to Danny, but he stops himself.

 

“You feeling up to eating?” Steve asks, concern clear in his eyes.

 

“Not really,” Danny mumbles, knowing that he should eat, that’s he’s hungry, but his appetite is nowhere to be seen.

 

“Babe,” Steve says sympathy and censure all rolled into one word.

 

“I know,” Danny says, placing his hand over Steve’s where it rests on his desk, “I’ll just grab an Ensure, I can’t stomach anything else.”

 

“Ok,” Steve says, satisfied that Danny’s going to eat something at least. Steve no longer eyes Ensure with disdain, understanding better now how difficult food is for Danny. Steve leaves Danny to it then, though Danny can tell that Steve would prefer to hover, stay close and look after Danny.

 

Steve understands by now that Danny doesn’t want to be treated like he’s fragile, especially at work. When they get home Danny will be happy to let Steve dote on him, but he needs to keep things professional here. In fact at this point, Danny’s kind of longing for quitting time so he can change into clothes that are more comfortable and get horizontal. Maybe cuddle up with Steve and forget the world for a little bit.  He gives in and takes his meds early afternoon when the pain becomes too much to bear. It makes the pain more manageable and he gets a bit more work done even though his head is fuzzy with chemicals and he feels like he’s experiencing everything through a layer of fog.

 

It’s around 3pm when they get a call about a murder up on the North Shore. Steve immediately goes into high gear, sprouting orders and plans of attack and potential game plans; premature considering they don’t know much yet, but that’s Steve. Danny hesitates and hates himself for it. He’s less than useless today, can’t think straight, physically compromised. Danny will be nothing but a problem if he goes with the team and it’s as Steve says “Let’s get going,” that he clearly realises it too.

 

“Danny,” Steve says, looking at Danny apologetically. Danny waves him off.

 

“I know, I know,” Danny says, “I’ll hold down the fort.”

 

Kono gives Danny a weak but supportive smile, clearly feeling sorry for him and Chin says, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on McGarrett for you.”

 

Danny nods his thanks. Steve is holding back when he should be running out the door already and Danny can’t have that. He’s the one who is can’t do his job, not Steve.

 

“Steve,” Danny says impatiently, “Go! Get the bad guys and don’t get shot!”

 

“We’re just going to look at the body, stop overreacting!” Steve says, pretending to be offended.

 

“Please, you say that like I don’t know you, you trouble magnet!” Danny rants, mostly for Steve’s benefit.

 

Steve grins at that and follows Chin and Kono out. Danny sighs when they’re out of earshot, feeling deflated and worthless. He wants more than anything to be out there with his team, having his partner’s back. Sure, he can help in the investigation in other ways; detective work isn’t all action no matter what Steve may think about it, but that doesn’t stop Danny from wanting to be out there, doing the whole job and not just part of it.

 

Selfishly, Danny hopes the case is a simple one because his parents and sisters are finally coming to visit next week and Danny would love to have the time to catch up properly and show them around the island. The great thing about working for 5-0 is that the cases usually get wrapped up fairly quickly, but the flipside of that is that the cases are always urgent and often life or death. Danny can’t easily take an afternoon off if they’re in the middle of a case. He’d hate for his family to be here and to barely see them because he’s too busy at work.

 

The pain in Danny’s stomach intensifies again and he hobbles to the restroom for what feels like the hundredth time today. Danny is probably dehydrated by now and he makes a mental note to pick up some gatorade on the way home. When he comes out he gives in to what his body has been begging him to do all day and settles himself on the couch in Steve’s office for a nap, putting his phone and gun on Steve’s desk. Until Steve, Chin and Kono come back there’s not much Danny can do, and hopefully the malaise he feels will have lifted some if he’s had a bit of a sleep. The couch isn’t all that comfortable, but with the way Danny’s feeling it doesn’t matter much; he’s already almost fallen asleep three times today just because he blinked too long.

 

The office smells like Steve and it goes a long way to helping Danny relax. He cradles his stomach with his hands, the heat helping with the pain that’s still lingering. With a sigh Danny slips into sleep.

 

+

 

Danny wakes up to noise in the office telling him that Steve, Kono and Chin are back. He scrubs at his eyes, trying to wake up properly before swinging his legs off the couch and standing. His mind is still foggy and if anything his body feels even more weighed down and sluggish, but at least his stomach ache has dulled. It takes Danny a second to realise that there’s no one around the computer table as he expected and a glance and Chin and Kono’s respective offices reveal a total of no one. Movement catches his eye and he sees someone in his own office, bent over his desk. Danny wonders what Steve could possibly be looking for on his desk and where Chin and Kono are. He goes over to find some answers but when he gets to his door he sees two guys in his office and neither of them are Steve. The guy who was bent over his desk has dark hair and is tall like Steve, but close up there isn’t any other resemblance. For a split second Danny and the two men stare at each other and then Danny reaches for his gun, only to realise that he left it in Steve’s office.

 

The men catch his mistake and the shorter one, the guy Danny hadn’t seen at first, grabs a ceramic dolphin that Grace gave to him and moving quickly, before Danny can react, slams it into Danny’s head. Danny falls to the floor, vision blurring out. The pain in his head is intense and Danny tries to get up, do something to defend himself but he has a problem figuring out just which way is up. The men are yelling at each other and Danny only catches bits and pieces through the ringing in his ears. He thinks the taller one is shouting something about waiting for the boss. The shorter one sounds a little hysterical and Danny hears him say something about spur of the moment. There’s blood running into Danny’s eye now and he wipes at it and tries to stand again. He watches his own blood drip onto the floor and it’s all wrong because he should looking at the two intruders in his office. He needs to stand up.

 

“Just hit him again,” the taller man says, sounding put upon.

 

Danny brings his arms up to protect his head, but his reflexes are slow and then all he knows is darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny wakes up briefly, bound by handcuffs and lying on his side. He tries to struggle against his bonds but all he achieves is chaffed wrists and sore shoulders. By the movement he can tell that he’s in a car but he has no idea how he got there or why. Before he can get any answers he blacks out again.

 

+

 

Danny finds himself lying on his back in a room of some sort. The walls are corrugated metal and there’s a heavy looking door at one end. The room is bare except for a bucket in the far corner. Danny’s head aches something fierce and he struggles to remember what happened. His last memory is deciding to take a nap in Steve’s office, it’s all blank after that and trying to remember makes his head hurt more. Danny touches his fingers to his head and feels the unmistakable stickiness of drying blood. Further investigation reveals matted hair and broken skin on his scalp just above his ear. Well that explains the headache. He looks at his wrists. They’re rubbed raw from the handcuffs and cut in places. They burn annoyingly but it’s mostly overshadowed by the pain in his head.

 

Danny tentatively sits up and is hit by a wave of dizziness and nausea. Through deep breathing and no small amount of willpower he manages to keep his meager stomach contents down, but only just. He waits a while before trying to stand and ends up stumbling when he does. He knows he should be doing something but his thoughts skit away like tiny bugs over a pond. Danny walks over to the bucket because it’s the only thing in the room and finds a roll of toilet paper inside. Why would they give him toilet paper?

 

Wait. Who are they?

 

Danny has the strangest inkling that it has something to do with Steve and a boss, but the idea is so useless he may as well have not remembered it in the first place. It dawns on Danny then that maybe he should be trying to get out, and he has no idea why he hadn’t thought of that already. He walks over to the door, feeling like the floor is tilting dangerously. The door is locked and from the hinges he can see that the door opens into the room. He doesn’t stand a chance in hell of breaking it down. There’s a small window in the opposite wall that’s too high for Danny to even think of reaching, not even if he stood on the bucket. It would be too small to go through anyway. The light from the window makes his head throb and Danny looks down at the floor in an attempt to ease it.

 

It occurs to Danny that he has a concussion. He has no idea how much time he’s lost, but he knows that his condition is serious. Through necessity Danny’s learned a lot about concussions since working with Steve. Danny remembers that they had a case; a murder. Danny had to stay behind. He wonders when Steve will realise that Danny’s missing. He has no idea if there are any clues left for Steve to find. Steve’s less good at clues than Danny is, he’s more Action Man than Sherlock Holmes. Chin’s good at clues. Hopefully Chin will help.

 

Danny tries to sit down on the floor again and ends up kind of falling but it gets him where he was going, so he can’t complain much. He closes his eyes against the light and the blurry everything and tries to think. It doesn’t go too well; he can feel that his thoughts are a mess but he can’t do anything to tidy them up. There’s a spasm in Danny’s stomach that sends him into a panic. He can’t have diarrhea now, not here, not when someone could come in at any second. He’ll be even more vulnerable than he is now. Danny breathes deeply, trying to quell his panic and reduce the pain. His meds have probably worn off by now. Danny checks his pockets in the vague hope that the people who took him were stupid enough to leave him something. No such luck. There probably wasn’t anything in them to begin with, he remembers putting his phone and gun on Steve’s desk. Danny studiously ignores the bucket.

 

The light in the room is growing redder and Danny figures it must be sunset. That gives him a bit of a timeframe. Danny feels better for having a way to orientate himself, even if knowing the time doesn’t help him practically. Steve should know he’s missing by now, which comforts him. Danny will need to get out before his family visit, his mom hates it when people are late. It would be rude not to be there when his family arrive, they’re travelling a long way.

 

There’s a rattling at the door and it opens to reveal a man. He’s got dark brown hair and is probably about Steve’s height. He’s unremarkable, generic; perfect look for a criminal, no hugely identifiable features.

 

“Who are you?” Danny asks.

 

He glares at Danny like he’s a major inconvenience and Danny wonders why this guy bothered to take him in the first place if Danny is such an imposition. The man is holding a plate and a bottle of water. He throws the bottle at Danny, but with Danny’s blurry vision and slow thoughts he doesn’t have a chance of catching it. The bottle hits Danny in the shoulder and bounces off, rolling to a stop against the wall.

 

“Ow, hey!” Danny complains, “Who the fuck are you?”

 

The man sneers and puts down the plate. It clatters on the concrete floor and makes Danny wince. He backs out of the room and closes the door. A renewed rattling tells Danny that he’s locking the door again.

 

“Who are you?” Danny shouts after him. There are other things Danny wants to know, but he can’t get past that question, he doesn’t know why. Wait, concussion. Right.

 

Danny gets to his feet slowly and this time there’s no nausea and he’s less dizzy which he counts as a major win. He doesn’t want to think what would happen to him if the concussion was causing his brain to swell or bleed or do those dangerous things that brains do when they get hit hard. Danny goes to the door first to inspect the plate. There’s a sandwich on it, which looks menacing in its innocuousness. Danny checks the sandwich, his stomach gurgling hopefully. Mayonnaise, onions and ham; Danny can’t risk eating it, even if he could really use the sustenance right about now. He’s about to fetch the bottle of water when he hears voices. Danny presses his ear to the door and tries to listen.

 

At first he can’t make out anything distinctly, but the two men talking are arguing if the tone is anything to go by. The only thing he hears with any sort of clarity is that they hadn’t planned to take him yet and that their boss wanted him unharmed. The fact both bolsters and frightens Danny. On the one hand it means that these guys weren’t ready, and they’ve probably made mistakes. On the other hand it means that whatever they have planned for him is still coming and since they’ve let him see a face, they don’t intend to let him go. The voices get quieter, like they’re moving away and when Danny’s sure he’s not going to hear anything else he backs away from the door.

 

Danny grabs the bottle of water and drinks a little. He’d love to finish the whole thing but he has no idea if or when these guys will give him more to drink. Danny eyes the sandwich, wishing like hell that he could eat it. He’s already feeling that gnawing hunger that tells him it’s suppertime, he doesn’t want to think about how he’s going to feel come morning. The pain in his stomach is steadily growing and he takes another sip of water in the hopes that it will help settle it, trick his stomach into thinking that he’s eaten. It doesn’t help in the slightest, except to wet his dry mouth.

 

The light is fading fast now and his cell, for want of a better word, is starting to look smaller and more threatening. The room is lit by a faint white light coming through the window, which Danny can only assume is some sort of security light outside whatever building he’s in. All the light does is cast shadows. Danny feels a little clearer than when he woke up, can feel the situation weigh on him more. If he hadn’t had a flare-up this wouldn’t have happened. He would have been better equipped to deal with them, he’s sure. Danny tries not to think about how Steve would handle something like this because all it brings is the burn of shame deep in his gut. Steve would have snapped the guy’s neck as soon as he walked in, not just sat on the floor dumbly and let himself get hit with a water bottle, concussion or no. They probably wouldn’t have gotten the drop on Steve in the first place.

 

Danny’s head is still pounding and the worrying sensation in his stomach hasn’t gone away. It’s growing, in fact, and Danny soon has to come to terms with the fact that his flare-up is not over and he’s going to have to cope with the humiliation of doing his business in a bucket. At least there is a bucket. Danny doesn’t want to be grateful for anything his kidnappers have given him, but he is. An increase in pain tells Danny his time is up. He grabs the toilet paper and squats over the bucket and all the mental space not taken up by pain is flooded with bone deep embarrassment. At first he’s amazed by the foresight of his captors by providing him with toilet paper, but Danny realises that it probably means that they plan on keeping him for a while.

 

When Danny’s finished he decides to take a piss too, so he doesn’t have to revisit the bucket for a while. Hopefully. Danny hobbles to the other corner of the room, as far away from the bucket as he can. He wants to put what happened out of his mind, doesn’t want to think about what he’s just had to do.

 

Danny is exhausted and hungry. The room is turning cold fast, the concrete floor and metal walls holding no heat, even in Hawaii. Pain radiates from his head and stomach and Danny tries his hardest to not fall prey to despair. He takes another drink of water, leaving him with less than half a bottle now. He should be more sparing with it, he knows, but he’s at risk of dehydrating already with the flare-up he’s been having and he doesn’t want to risk further vulnerability. Danny curls up in the corner, bringing his knees up as far as he can without putting too much pressure on his stomach and wraps his arms around himself. He’s starting to shiver now and he has no idea if it’s from the cold or the pain. He rests his head against the wall. It’s one of the most uncomfortable positions he’s ever tried to sleep in, including cattle class on a plane.

 

Unbidden, the memory of his first flight to Hawaii comes to him. The anger in him had boiled away the entire flight and it was the only thing that stopped him from crying, that burning hatred and fury. Rachel had taken his marriage and his child and as if that wasn’t enough she’d taken him away from his home too. The last thing keeping Danny afloat, and he’d had to leave it because there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for Grace. He doesn’t hate Rachel anymore and he’s glad for that. Grace is better off with parents who can be civil to each other. And besides, if Danny hadn’t had to follow Rachel to Hawaii then he would never had met Steve and the idea of Danny’s life without Steve in it is unthinkable.

  
Despite the circumstances, Danny can feel himself surccumbing to sleep. His last thought is to imagine that he’s back at home, in bed with Steve and that everything is alright.


	3. Chapter 3

The crime scene didn’t give them much information and Steven, Chin and Kono head back to HQ without much more knowledge than when they left. They’ll know more when Max does the autopsy and the fingerprints come back so they can hopefully ID the victim. The crime scene appeared to be wiped clean of forensic evidence, though they left the Crime Scene Unit still combing the place. Hopefully they’ll come up with something.

 

Steve glances to the empty seat beside him and frowns. He hates not having Danny with him and he couldn’t stop thinking about him while they were at the crime scene. It burns Steve to know that his partner is back at the office suffering and that Steve can’t be there for him. It’s the job, and the circumstances, Steve knows that and tries to respect it more for Danny’s sake than his own. He knows how seriously Danny takes his job, how much pride he has in being a police officer. Steve doesn’t want to disrespect that for one second because it would be disrespecting Danny. Danny’s got cop written in his DNA as much as Steve’s got SEAL; he gets it.

 

That’s what makes it so much harder to leave Danny behind. Steve feels like an imposter without Danny by his side. He has no right to be investigating a crime if Danny can’t. He will never tell Danny that, it would be like rubbing salt in his wounds. It hurts Steve to know that Danny’s missing out, that he’s hindered by his illness and there isn’t anything anyone can do. It’s not fair, but then Steve is an expert in raw deals. He knows full well how unfair life is.

 

Driving the Camaro just isn’t as fun without Danny there beside him. There’s no joy in the way the car speeds up so easily because Danny isn’t there to tell him to slow down. The way the brakes respond doesn’t mean anything because Danny isn’t grabbing onto the handle above the window and calling him an animal. Steve drives more sedately without Danny in the car because the fun isn’t in the driving, it’s in hearing Danny rant, having Danny focus his attention solely on Steve. It’s in the way no matter how much Danny complains and calls him dangerous, he always gets back in the car with Steve without a second thought. Not that Steve does drive dangerously, he always has a handle on the vehicle and knows exactly where his and the car’s limits are. He wouldn’t put Danny at risk like that.

 

Pulling into the parking lot at Head Quarters settles something in Steve, knowing that he’ll be seeing Danny soon. He hates leaving Danny alone when he’s having a flare-up, even if there isn’t anything he can do. Chin and Kono arrive just after him and they walk in together, discussing the case. Steve heads to Danny’s office first to catch Danny up and check in on him. He’d love to send Danny home for the day; he knows how out of it Danny’s been today, despite his best efforts to do work.

 

Steve stops short at Danny’s office. There’s blood on the floor and next to it lies Gracie’s dolphin, missing a fin and bloodied. There’s a rushing sound in Steve’s ears as his heart tries explode out of his chest. It’s not Danny’s it can’t be. Any moment now Danny’s going to jump out and yell “Got ya!” and Steve will be pissed but relieved. Any moment now. Danny needs to reappear. Now.

 

Chin calls Steve’s name and it restarts him, sends him into hypergear. He pulls out his phone and speed dials Danny. He’s number 1, where he should be. Steve hears his ringtone coming from his office and in a few long quick strides Steve is in his office and holding Danny’s phone. His gun is on Steve’s desk too and the sight makes Steve’s chest feel hollow and his stomach leaden. Steve turns to find Chin and Kono standing at his office door looking worried.

 

“Something’s happened to Danny,” Steve says, and the words taste like ash in his mouth, “Chin, we need a CSU team here to analyse the blood and check the office for evidence. Kono I want you pulling footage from all the cameras. I want eyes on who came in and what happened to Danny.”

 

Chin and Kono rush to follow Steve’s orders. As they get on with their tasks Steve realises he left nothing for himself to do. He’s at a loss, free falling, and he needs to focus. He joins Kono at the table and starts reviewing footage with her. They only have cameras at the entrances, so Steve has no chance of finding out what went on in the office. The rewind an hour before they see two men hauling Danny out the doors. They’re faces aren’t visible. Danny is clearly unconscious but what catches Steve’s eye is the flash of red on the side of Danny’s head. Steve feels sick, but he swallows the feeling down. He’ll be no hope to Danny if he loses it.

 

“Let’s see if we can catch them coming in,” Steve says.

 

Kono nods and goes back fifteen minutes in the footage. Two men walk in through the doors, but their faces are hidden again, angled away from the camera.

 

“This can’t be a coincidence,” Steve says, “They knew where the camera’s were.”

 

“Yeah,” Kono agrees, then switches camera feeds, “Let’s see if the outside cameras got them.”

 

Steve waits impatiently as Kono scans through the footage. The view is limited, but it covers enough that there’s no way these guys aren’t there somewhere.. Chin comes up to the table to help when he’s off the phone with CSU. He nods at Steve, showing him solidarity without voicing it. Steve grateful for that. Now is not the time for words, but action.

 

“There!” Kono shouts, pausing the footage. She plays it again for Steve and Chin. The taller suspect holds Danny up while the other one runs off screen. A minute later he pulls up in a car and they load Danny into the trunk. They keep their backs to the camera the entire time, and they can’t see the licence plate from that angle, but at least they can get a make, model and colour of the car.

 

“Chin, contact HPD, I want a BOLO out on that car,” Steve says, the need to be doing something is making Steve’s skin itch, “I’m going downstairs, see if anyone saw something.”

 

“Sure thing,” Chin says, already pulling out his phone.

 

“Um, boss?” Kono asks tentatively.

 

“What?”

 

“What about the murder investigation, someone’s gotta handle that, but I want to be out there looking for Danny,” Kono says.

 

“Shit,” Steve says, he’d forgotten all about the murder, “I’ll talk to the governor, get the case handed to HPD, there are plenty of good detectives there who can handle it. Our priority has to be Danny.”

 

Steve calls the governor on his way downstairs and once he explains that Danny’s been taken the governor is happy to put 5-0 on the case and for HPD to take the murder. Steve talks to a bunch of people downstairs but no one seems to have seen anything. Steve heads outside and stands on the spot where they loaded Danny into the car. He tries not to think about what might be happening to Danny, doesn’t want the horror stories in his head to distract him. He knows from personal experience the types of things that could be happening and it’s not helpful.

 

Steve looks around, hoping there’s another camera somewhere they don’t have immediate access to, like an ATM, but there’s nothing. There aren’t any stores around, no vendors, nothing permanent where someone could have seen something from. Steve wants to growl in frustration.

 

He heads back up to the offices. CSU are already there, dusting for prints and collecting the blood sample. Steve can’t bring himself to look at the little pool of blood on the floor. Someone is putting Gracie’s dolphin in an evidence bag and Steve wants to snatch it away from them. It’s not theirs to touch. Sense prevails and goes into his office and sits at his desk. He stares at Danny’s gun. Why would somebody take Danny, for what purpose? There hasn’t been a ransom demand yet, so odds are it’s not the leverage of having a cop in their grasp. So what, revenge? Danny’s helped put away tons of people. Steve doesn’t want to consider the next point, but for Danny’s sake he’s got to be thorough. Steve’s made a lot of enemies too, and his relationship with Danny isn’t a secret. This could just as easily be revenge on him. Wo Fat springs to mind and Steve knows he’ll have to put feelers out, find out if there’s been any movement on that front. Plenty of agencies are trying to monitor Wo Fat, even if they aren’t very successful at it.

 

There’s a knock on Steve’s door and he looks up to see Kono standing there.

 

“CSU guys are done,” Kono says, “HPD are on the lookout for the car. I called Kamekona to see if he’s heard anything. He said no, but he’d keep an ear out. He sounded really upset.”

 

“Thanks Kono,” Steve says, running a hand over his face, “You and Chin start going over recent releases from prison on all of Danny’s cases. Start with 5-0 and the ones he worked at HPD, the list can’t be that long, they’re probably all still inside. Then get onto his precinct back in Newark and go through those. We’ll start with releases in the past month.”

 

“Sure thing,” Kono nods and gets back to work.

 

Once he’s alone Steve starts making calls about Wo Fat, but nothing pans out. No one’s heard any chatter about Wo Fat being back in Hawaii. That doesn’t mean that they can rule him out, but Steve’s got to explore other options too. If he’s too focussed on one thing then he might miss something important, Danny taught him that. Steve joins Chin and Kono at the table.

 

+

 

They eat dinner in the office, Steve eating quickly and mechanically. He knows he can’t slip, needs the strength, but the idea of eating while Danny is who knows where, having done who knows what to him, is killing his appetite. Chin and Kono don’t seem too keen on food either. Steve knows they’re also worried about Danny, and he appreciated that they are both keeping a cool head about it. It’s helping Steve maintain the grip he has on himself. He can’t lose it now, he needs to be completely focussed and as calm as possible.

 

“When are you going to tell Rachel?” Chin asks, breaking the silence that’s been hanging over them for hours.

 

“What?” Steve asks, not yet twigging why he’d need to tell Rachel anything.

 

“Danny’s missing. Grace will need to know before the press gets ahold of it,” Chin says gently, almost apologetic.

 

“Fuck,” Steve says, putting down his fork, completely unable to eat now.

 

“I know,” Chin says sympathetically.

 

“I’ll make the call now,” Steve says, standing. He goes to his office to phone Rachel, needing a little privacy. It’s one of the hardest phone calls Steve’s ever had to make. Rachel is understandably shocked and upset and all Steve can think of while he’s talking is that he’s let Grace down. He can imagine the devastation she’ll feel, knowing her Danno is missing. It hurts even more when Rachel asks what leads they have and Steve doesn’t have anything solid to tell her.

 

Steve ends the call as quickly as possible.

 

They work all night, none of them willing to rest when Danny’s life may be at stake. None of the people that Danny helped put away that were recently released are viable suspects. Not one of them is anywhere near Hawaii, and so far they all have alibis. There are a few who are unaccounted for, but they’ll have to wait for info on them until the respective cops on the mainland get back to them tomorrow. With the time difference things have been harder than Steve would like.

  
For now it’s a waiting game, and Steve doesn’t like it one bit.


	4. Chapter 4

Sometime during the night renewed cramps wake Danny up and he has to hobble over to the bucket again. It’s no less humiliating the second time around but it’s harder to remain on his feet. His stomach feels like it’s twisting up, tying itself in hard knots and won’t release and it makes Danny’s head swim and his legs wobble. He’s terrified of falling over, of missing the bucket. It’s hard enough in the dark as it is. Danny’s cheeks flame even though he’s the only person here to witness his shame. Tears leak out of eyes. Mortification isn’t a big enough word to describe what he’s experiencing.

 

When the pain finally lessens and he’s sure that he’s done, Danny cleans himself up and stands. He hisses as he straightens, his ass is raw from all the times he’s gone today. He does up his pants and walks gingerly back to his corner. He curls up like he did before, but the pressure is too much on his sore bum. He angles himself so that he’s resting more on his hip and that helps a little. He can’t stop the sob from escaping him. He can’t believe he’s in this position, that he’s just had to do what he did. He’s never hated his body so much, and he never thought he could hate his body more than he already did. Danny wants this to be a nightmare. He wants to wake up in his bed with Steve and hide himself under Steve’s chin and in his arms. He wants to rip out his intestines and stomach and bowels. He wants to tear out his funky nervous system and demand a new one. He wants to be home and safe and doped up on pills and numb to everything.

 

Danny wants to sleep. At least he gets one of his wishes.

 

+

 

Danny wakes to stifling heat, the sun warming the metal walls and turning the room into Danny’s own private hell. His shirt is soaked in sweat and his mouth feels dry and tacky. The sweat is making the cuts on Danny’s wrists and head sting. He undoes the cuffs on his shirt and rolls the sleeves up; it’s the best he can do. Danny grabs the bottle of water he left next to himself and drinks it all, needing some relief. The water is unpleasantly warm but it’s wet. Judging by the heat the sun has been up for a while and Danny has no idea how he slept through it. Maybe it’s like that frog thing, heat the water and it won’t notice and die, drop it in boiling water and it’ll jump right back out again. Danny has no idea if that’s actually true about frogs and he doesn’t want to know if anyone has tried it. Danny doesn’t want to be a frog either.

 

Danny’s head feels all fuzzy and he has no idea what’s to blame; the concussion, the flare-up or the heat. Maybe a potent combination of all three. Despite that his thoughts feel a little more structured, less chaotic. Danny can only count that as a good thing. Danny knows he needs to come up with a way to get out of here, he’s not going to lie back and wait for rescue. How he’s going to achieve that is another story. In his current state, Danny doesn’t think overpowering them is going to be an option. He hasn’t seen or heard any evidence that there are more than two guys who took him, but he can’t rule out the possibility either.

 

Danny is beyond starving now and it’s making him queasy and irritable. The heat isn’t helping either and if Danny had more energy he’d pace or bang on the door or something. As it is, he just throws the empty water bottle across the room and gets even more annoyed because his throw wasn’t hard enough and the bottle doesn’t even hit the wall. It just bounces on the floor and rolls to a stop like it’s mocking him for being weak.

 

Danny sits in the heat for a long time, not bothering to get up because what’s the point? His shirt is starting to dry and that’s a bad sign because it means he’s stopped sweating. Danny knows he’s dehydrating faster than most people would thanks to his flare-up. He feels woozy and his mouth is dry and woolen. The heat has another side effect- making the smell of the contents of the bucket more potent. It’s not helping his nausea one bit, but at least it’s keeping his mind off food.

 

It’s got to be well past midday when Danny hears a rattling that the door. He can’t recall where the time went as he sat there. It’s been hours since he woke up, but he’s been floating somewhere far away, his awareness dulled. The world doesn’t so much snap back into focus with the arrival of his kidnapper, as creep gloopily towards something a few steps away from clarity. The man at the door is different from the man yesterday. He looks shorter and his hair is lighter. Danny can’t remember yesterday’s man’s face well, but he thinks this new guy has heavier features, but rounder. Danny saw a lot of faces like that back in Jersey. A small voice that Danny likes to call his self-preservation instinct pipes up and tells Danny to remain alert. It’s a struggle.

 

“What the fuck is that smell?” the man says, wrinkling his nose is disgust.

 

Danny had forgotten the smell, but now that he’s been reminded he wants to wrinkle his nose too. He feels shame bubble up again.

 

“Shit, are you fucking sick?” the man says, not concerned, angry, but there’s something like worry there. Danny figures the best way to go is to play along. Danny nods, playing up his disorientation and drowsiness.

 

The man sticks his head out of the door and yells, “Yo Tony! Get in here!”

 

It occurs to Danny that the plate with his ignored sandwich is ceramic. He doesn’t know why he didn’t think of it before. Danny moves quickly, grabbing it and smashing it over the man’s head. He swears and turns around, punching Danny in the face before he can dodge. Danny doesn’t have to fake the disorientation that time, pain radiating from his cheekbone and worsening the headache he already had. Danny stumbles and falls to the ground and the man kicks him in the side. Danny tries to grab his foot, take the man down with him, but Danny is too sluggish.

 

“You fucking shit, piece of shit cop,” he shouts, kicking Danny again before his partner, Tony, grabs him and hauls him back.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Tony shouts, “What part of ‘the boss wants the honours’ do you not fucking understand, huh?”

 

“The little fuck hit me over the head with the plate,” the still un-named man retorts, brushing crumbs from his hair.

 

“You should pay more attention then,” Tony spits, “Why did you call me?”

 

“From the smell you’d swear this guy is dying. Didn’t figure the boss would like that.” The man says petulantly, rubbing his head and glaring at Danny.

 

“So he’s sick, who cares?” Tony says, “As long as we don’t touch him, boss can’t argue.”

 

Between the new pain in his side and his face, and the old pain in his head and stomach and fucking everywhere, Danny feels like throwing up. So he does. He turns over and aims at the shorter guy’s feet, because if Danny’s going to break his impressive no vomiting streak, then he’s going to be vindictive about it.

 

The shorter guy swears and backs away. Danny starts shivering and he doesn’t try to stop himself. He adds some moaning in just for flare because these fuckers need to think he’s weaker than he is if he wants any chance at escaping. The fact that Danny’s pretty weak already is not something he wants to think about.

 

“Shit,” Tony says, “Ok, you’re right, if the boss sees him like this he’s gonna kill us, especially after you fucked up.”

 

“Hey!” the other guy protests, “It’s not totally my fault!”

 

“It fucking is,” Tony says, “Come on, I know a guy we can call.”

 

They leave Danny then, locking the door behind them. Danny sits up, ignoring his renewed nausea at the change from horizontal to vertical. He scoots away from his vomit, more water than anything else at this point. Danny tries to take comfort from the fact that his kidnappers don’t want him to die, at least not yet. It means he has more time to figure out how to escape. He’s got to take them by surprise and he has to be quick about it, that much he does know. If he wasn’t already in a weakened state things would be easier. He hates this. He feels so damn weak and hopeless.

 

Danny leans against the wall again, trying desperately to think. His mind and body aren’t cooperating though and his eyes start to close without his consent. He tries to open them, shakes his head a bit to try and stay awake but it just makes him a little dizzy and reminds him of the pain he’s in. Despite his best intentions, Danny nods off.

 

He wakes to the door opening again and suppresses the urge to rush whoever is coming in. He needs more information first. He can’t go off halfcocked and leave the rest up to luck. Danny doesn’t think luck is on his side at the moment. He’s also not too keen on getting hit again, his face and side aching even more now.

 

The man who walks in is new, and judging by the surgical mask and hat thingy he must be a doctor. Danny guesses the getup is more for preserving the doctor’s identity than an indication of what the doctor is about to do. At least, Danny hopes so. It’s this turns into a weird medical horror thing, then Danny has some serious complaints. Tony follows the doctor in and closes the door. He stands by it and watches Danny suspiciously.

 

All Danny can tell about the doctor is that he’s white and he’s got brown eyes, maybe middleaged. The information doesn’t seem helpful, but Danny stores it away anyway. The doctor is carrying a bag, which he sets down next to himself and kneels in front of Danny. He doesn’t say anything, just opens his bag and takes out a stethoscope. He sticks it down the front of Danny’s shirt and listens to his heart, then he takes Danny’s blood pressure. It’s sort of freaking Danny out that the doctor isn’t talking, he’s used to them being pretty chatty or at least talking him through what they’re doing. Not that Danny expects this to go like a normal doctor’s appointment, what with the whole Danny being held prisoner thing.

 

“You make me sick,” Danny says, deciding that if the doctor isn’t going to talk, he will. Danny’s voice is hoarse and scratchy. “You promised to help people, the hippocratic oath mean anything to you?”

 

The doctor looks up at Danny briefly, but his eyes are unreadable. He pinches the skin on Danny’s hand.

 

“Bad cops and doctors on the take,” Danny continues, “You’re worse than dirt.”

 

The doctor turns away from Danny and addresses Tony, “He’s dehydrated, not surprising.”

 

Danny had expected the doctor to sound gruffer but he just sounds… normal. Danny knows better than most how people who appear to be the most ordinary are often the perpetrators of the worst crimes. He’s interviewed enough friends and family and neighbours to have heard “but he seemed so normal” a thousand times over, he knows that appearances are deceiving.

 

The doctor turns back to him and examines the side of his head where Danny was hit with whatever they used to knock him out. He presses around the cut, ignoring Danny when he hisses. It’s fucking sore. He takes a sealed gauze pad out of his bag and unwraps it and pours what smells like antiseptic on it. He cleans the wound, moving Danny’s matted hair away from the open sore and removes the dried blood from Danny’s forehead and temple.

 

“This is more worrying in the long term,” the doctor speaks to Tony again, “I can’t tell how severe the injury is here, only a hospital can do that, but I know that’s not going to happen.”

 

“Do you think he’s going to die anytime soon?” Tony asks, sounding less concerned for Danny and more for himself.

 

The doctor shines a flashlight in Danny’s eyes before answering, “Probably not, but if there’s a slow bleed the symptoms won’t show up yet.”

 

That doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in Danny.

 

“I want to put him on an IV, it’s the fastest way to rehydrate him,” the doctor continues.

 

“Fine,” Tony says dismissively, “Do whatever, I need him alive.”

 

“And you’ll need to empty out that bucket if you don’t want him getting sicker,” the doctor says, packing his bag up again. The doctor stands and head to the door. “I’ll be back in an hour with the IV.”

 

Tony nods and lets the doctor out, following behind. With that information Danny imagines he can’t be too far away from civilisation, if the doctor can get to wherever the IV stuff is and back in an hour. And Danny’s sure he’s in some sort of warehouse, which narrows down his options of exactly where he is. Danny doesn’t know Oahu well enough to pinpoint where he is though. Provided he’s still on Oahu, but he doesn’t think he was out long enough to have been taken off the island. Chin and Kono would be able to work out where they were. They’ve both got near encyclopedic knowledge of the island, and Hawaii in general. Much the same that Danny had of Newark before he left.

  
The shorter man comes in a few minutes later carrying a clean bucket. He puts it down and grabs the used bucket, looking disgusted. He carries it as far away from himself as he possibly can and glares as Danny as he leaves. Danny takes a little bit of joy from that, at least he’s done something to get back at these guys, however miniscule and embarrassing it is.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny has no way of telling how long the doctor took to come back, but can’t imagine it was much longer than an hour. Tony doesn’t seem to be griping, so the doc must have kept his word. The doctor works efficiently and Danny doesn’t do anything to resist. Being hydrated will help him in the long run and the needle will do as a weapon in a pinch, which this certainly is. He can’t believe they’re allowing him anything sharp, but hopefully it means they’re underestimating Danny, which can only work in his favour.

 

The doctor sticks the needle in his hand with little pain and hooks him up to the bag. He takes out a hook with a suction cup on it, like you’d find in a bathroom or next to a kitchen sink, and sticks it to the wall to hang the bag on. And whoa that is too well planned for it not to be the first time he’s done this. Danny hopes that if he makes it out of here he’ll be able to find this doctor and take him down.

 

“I’ll come back tonight to change the bag,” the doctor says to Tony, packing up his stuff, “See if you can get him something to eat.”

 

“This isn’t a fucking hotel,” Tony snarls, wrenching the door open for the doctor.

 

“You said you wanted him alive,” the doctor says sharply, “I’m telling you how to do that. You want him dead? Not my problem.”

 

Danny wants to shout, scream, stab all these fucking men who currently have power over him. Danny’s never felt so impotent. His body feels beyond weak and he hates it. What’s worse is that he knows if he didn’t have IBS he wouldn’t be in this position, or would be in a better place to escape. Instead he’s hooked up to an IV, reliant on a crooked doctor. He feels hopeless, drained. A part of him wonders why he should even bother to escape, but an even bigger part reminds him that Grace relies on him. He’s not going to leave his daughter without a father, no way. And then there’s Steve. Too many bad things have happened to Steve, Danny doesn’t want to become one of them. No matter how shit Danny feels, no matter how useless he is, he can’t leave the people he loves.

 

The shorter guy comes in, scowling. He swaggers up to Danny and stands over him; a ridiculous display of dominance if Danny ever saw one. If Danny were feeling better he’d have something to say, a needling remark to piss the guy off. But Danny’s mouth is dry and he knows whatever he could come up with won’t be nearly cutting enough. The guy drops a piece of bread into Danny’s lap and smiles like he’s done something funny.

 

“Only the best for our guest,” he says and Danny rolls his eyes. Criminals watch too much tv nowadays.

 

As the guy turns to leave Danny moves his foot and trips him. It’s the best he can do without trying to sprout some garbled insult and it’s incredibly satisfying when the guy goes flying, landing face first in Danny’s vomit. When he gets up he’s shaking with rage and before Danny knows it the man has his hands around Danny’s throat, squeezing tightly. Danny’s hands fly to his neck, trying to pull the man’s hands away but it’s no use. He’s struggling to breath and he’s panicking, flailing against the man.

 

“Listen closely, asshole,” the man hisses, close to Danny’s ear, “You pull a stunt like that again, and I’ll fucking kill you. Don’t care what the boss wants.”

 

He lets go just as Danny’s vision is starting to black out. He wipes his face with his hand flicks the vomit onto Danny. Danny barely registers it, heaving in great gulps of air, his throat burning. Danny struggles to regain his breath and his heart pounds in his chest. He knows he needs to calm his breath, get it even, make his heart stop racing. He tries, forces himself to concentrate, holds his breath and tries to suck in air slowly. It’s hard at first, fighting his body’s instinct to get as much air as possible. But it gets easier, slowly. Eventually he gets his breathing back to something approaching normal. His heart still feels like it’s trying to burst out of his chest though.

 

Danny doesn’t know when the man left, but he’s alone again. He raises his hand to his neck and feels a few tender spots there. It’s going to bruise, he’s sure. The acidic tang of vomit clings to him, even if Danny mostly threw up water. He tries to ignore it. He’s already gotten used to the smell of sweat that surrounds him.

 

In his struggle the piece of bread ended up on the floor and it looks a bit squished. Danny doesn’t expect they’ll feed him anything else today and he’s already gone more than 24 hours without food. He picks up the bread and dusts it off as best he can. He remembers as a kid he used to hollow out loaves of bread, rolling pinched pieces into balls and eating them while his mom was occupied with his younger siblings. He’d get in trouble every time, but whenever he got the chance he’d sneak back into the kitchen. Danny pulls off a piece of bread and rolls it. It’s not as gross as his adult-self would have thought, but he has no idea why he thought it was so delicious as a kid.

 

Danny finishes the bread quickly and all it does is awaken his hunger and dry out his mouth further. Danny would have prefered some protein at this point and wishes his captors hadn’t put mayonnaise and onions on that stupid sandwich yesterday. Even something as simple as ham seems like a feast at this point. He’d even have it on pizza if given the chance.

 

The drip runs out and the light fades in Danny’s cell. It’s cooling down, which at first is a godsend, being away from that stifling heat. But it doesn’t last long as the cold of the metal that Danny’s leaning against starts seeping into him. His body begins to ache. Rolling his sleeves back down doesn’t help at all.

 

There’s a rattling at the door and light spills in. The doctor is back, with his ever present bag. He kneels in front of Danny and produces a flashlight. He shines it in Danny’s eyes and then the light rests on Danny’s neck for a bit, the doctor clearly seeing evidence of his earlier strangling. The doctor doesn’t comment. He takes away the old bag and hooks up a new one.

 

“This one is slower,” he says, adjusting something on the line into Danny’s hand, “It will be finished by morning.”

 

Tony nods, even though the doctor has his back to him. Tony doesn’t seem at all interested in the proceedings. Danny hates being ignored, but having the doctor talk to him directly wouldn’t earn him any goodwill from Danny. The doctor leaves and Danny’s is plunged back into darkness. Somehow it seems colder in the dark. Danny shifts uncomfortably. His ass went numb ages ago and with the length of the IV he doesn’t have much of a choice of where to be. He doesn’t want to take it out, he knows it’s helping him and Danny can use all the help he gets.

 

Danny jerks awake, not realising he’d even been asleep, when the door opens. It’s still dark, and Danny doesn’t feel like he’s been asleep for long. Thanks to the light outside, Danny can tell that not-Tony has come in and he’s carrying something, which takes a few seconds for Danny to make out; it’s a bucket.

 

“I’ve got a present for you,” he says, which is ominous in the least, “Noticed earlier how much you reek. Figure it’s time for the little piggy to have a bath.”

 

Danny is doused in cold water and it’s a shock to the system. It leaves him gasping and shivering and fuck he thought he was cold before. The water doesn’t smell clean either, it has a dank scent and Danny has a bad feeling that the bucket the man used is the one that was taken out of his room earlier. The man laughs.

 

“There’s tons of stuff I can do to you that won’t leave a mark,” he says, “Remember that the next time you want to do something stupid.”

  
He leaves again. Danny can’t stop shivering and if he thought last night was cold it’s nothing on this. Danny stands up and feels along the wall for the hook holding the IV bag up. He can’t stay sitting in the puddle, even if his wet clothes aren’t going anywhere. He rings them out as best he can without taking them off. His fingers are numb and he fumbles with the hook, but eventually gets it off the wall. He sticks himself in another corner, one not occupied by the bucket and puts the hook back up. The movement does little to warm him up and his clothes are still soaking. He curls up into the corner, arms wrapped around himself in an effort to gain some warmth. The shivering doesn’t stop and as the time grows later all it does is get colder. Danny’s teeth won’t stop chattering no matter how hard to tries. Despite being exhausted, he can’t fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who continues to read, has left kudos or comments. It means so much to me!


	6. Chapter 6

Come early morning they get the lab tests back that confirm the blood was Danny’s. It doesn’t surprise them, having seen the head wound on the video. It doesn’t help them either. They widen the search of Danny’s previous cases to those released in the last three months and still come up empty. Not one of them is unaccounted for, and no one has been, or is in Hawaii. No one even has tickets booked for Hawaii, as far as they can see. Steve’s frustration is mounting, a thrum underneath his skin that calls for action and violence and vengeance. Being stuck in the office with no leads is torture.

 

Mid-morning they get a call from HPD that someone spotted a car matching the kidnappers’. Finally they have some headway. Steve drives to the location they were given on automatic, head filled with best and worst case scenarios. He almost makes himself sick thinking that they’ll find Danny dead in the car.

 

The car is abandoned in a secluded spot a few miles outside Honolulu and as Steve pulls up he’s filled with a sense of dread so fierce it feels like his body has turned to ice. He gets out of the Camaro stiffly; the tension in his body hindering his movements. It’s only a minute walk off the road to the car. Steve stops short when he sees it. The car is burnt out, only the framework remaining. The Crime Scene guys are already there, going through the wreckage. Steve grabs one of them who looks familiar.

 

“Was there a body inside?” Steve asks, not wanting an answer but needing to know.

 

“No commander,” the tech answers professionally, and Steve wonders whether they know just how close he is to falling apart, “We didn’t find any human remains. We don’t expect to find much evidence at all. The fire probably burnt all of it away. I’m sorry.”

 

Steve nods and turns around. Chin and Kono are waiting for him a few paces back. He walks to them and repeats what the tech said. Kono slumps with relief and Chin gives a strained smile and a nod. Steve asks them to stick with CSU and report back if they find anything. It’s selfish, but Steve can’t stand being near that car for another second, knowing that Danny was in that trunk. And that they still have no idea where Danny is and in what condition. Steve heads back to the car and leans against it for a while, his knees a little too watery to drive yet. He mentally runs through what’s in the area that the people who took Danny might be interested in, but nothing stands out. It looks like the car was dumped here, it’s unlikely that they’re hiding out anywhere close.

 

Steve hasn’t contacted Danny’s family even though he knows he should have. But it feels like it will make everything too real. Telling Rachel was bad enough. Having to speak to Danny’s mom or dad, tell them that when they arrive in Hawaii that Danny might not be there, it’s too much. Steve can’t contemplate the idea that Danny won’t be back in time for their visit. They’ll be arriving in three days. That’s the timeline Steve’s given himself to find Danny. Steve refuses to allow it to be longer than that.

 

They head back to HQ and find that the last few outstanding alibis have been sent to them by Newark PD; everyone is accounted for and that leaves them with zero suspects. Steve grits his teeth and holds back from trashing his computer where the email that clears the last suspect sits. Another dead end. After a series of dead ends.

 

CSU come up with a grand total of nothing from the burnt out car. At five Steve sends Chin and Kono home for the day. They don’t have anything to work with and they pulled an all-nighter last night. Steve tells them that some rest might give them a fresh perspective. He hopes they don’t see through him, because he’s losing hope and fast. Steve promises them he’ll get some rest as well, but he can’t bring himself to go home. The idea of going home to an empty house and seeing all the spaces where Danny should be and isn’t is unthinkable. Steve spends his evening double checking with his contacts in the military and the CIA, not just about Wo Fat this time, but about other ops he’s been on where someone might want revenge. They all come back with a big fat negative.

 

It’s been over twenty four hours since Danny was taken. The knowledge is like a painful itch in Steve’s brain, driving him to distraction, taunting him when he needs to focus. The sleep deprivation isn’t helping. Steve’s gone for longer without sleep, but there’s the added emotional upheaval that’s weighing him down. His advice to Chin and Kono was sound, even if the doubtful traitor voice in Steve’s head keeps telling him that Danny’s beyond saving. Steve won’t give up, and he won’t prematurely bury Danny, leave him to rot because Steve couldn’t handle the pain of losing him. If Steve wants to keep going he’s going to have to rest.

 

Steve decides his office couch is the best place. He can catch a catnap and hopefully be refreshed enough to start brainstorming again. As he lies down he catches a whiff of Danny and it hurts like he’s missing a limb, but it also strengthens his resolve. Steve doesn’t want to go another day without that smell; clean and light but grounded, homely undertones. Steve needs to bury his face in Danny’s neck and hold him close. Life won’t be worth living if Steve never has that again.

 

Steve falls asleep quickly and heads straight into a dream. It’s a familiar room, dark with unnatural light, dank and musty. The air is stale with human stink. There’s a man strapped to a chair with a bag over his head. Steve’s had this dream so many times, not just a dream but a memory. A year before his return to Hawaii he’d be captured and tortured for days before his team got him out.

 

This dream is different though, because Steve knows the man in the chair isn’t him like it should be, but instead it’s Danny. Steve wants to rush to save Danny, get him out of that damned chair before what happens next but Steve doesn’t have a body in the dream, he’s just an unwilling voyeur. There are two men in the room and they take turns punching Danny in the stomach, shouting things at him in a language Danny won’t understand. When Danny doesn’t tell them what they want they get angry. One produces a bucket of water from nowhere and pours it slowly over Danny’s bagged face. The wet sack sucks in as Danny tries to breathe and Steve knows how Danny feels, knows what it’s like to drown. They tear off the hood to reveal Danny’s face. His nose is broken and his left eye is swollen shut, just like Steve’s was. They ask Danny more questions but unlike Steve, who just kept quiet, Danny keeps shouting at them that he doesn’t know anything, that he can’t understand them. And he doesn’t, it’s Steve who has the information, not Danny. Why are they asking Danny? He doesn’t know anything!

 

Frustrated, one of the men leaves. No time passes before he comes back, a car battery and jumper cables in his hands. He puts it down and attaches the cables and asks Danny one last time. Danny just shakes his head, staring at the cables with fear and tears welling up in his eyes. The man touches the metal ends to Danny’s chest and Danny starts screaming.

 

Steve wakes with a start, breathing heavily. It was just a dream, he knows that, but it all seemed too real. Steve hopes against hope that Danny isn’t going through anything close to that. Steve’s been trained to withstand that, to deal with that situation. Danny, while a tough SOB, hasn’t. And Steve doesn’t ever want him to know what it’s like. Danny shouldn’t be burdened by the depravity of humanity, not like Steve is.

  
Steve rubs his eyes and gets up, not willing to fall back asleep and back into the nightmare. He makes himself a cup of coffee and heads over to the computer table. There’s got to be some sort of lead he can scare up. Danny’s relying on him.


	7. Chapter 7

Sometime during the night Danny feels the urge to urinate, which is cause for at least minor celebration as far as he’s concerned. It means the drip is working and he’s no longer in danger of dying from dehydration. He’s feeling a little stronger, a little more lucid. No where near well, but Danny’s used to operating while feeling less than stellar. He grabs a little sleep after he’s gone to the toilet, his clothes drier now, though it doesn’t feel much warmer.

 

He wakes to early morning sunlight and less heat than the day before. A glance at the bag tells him it’s empty and Danny’s sure he’s feeling as well as he’s going to get until he gets out of here and receives proper medical attention. He carefully disconnects the drip and gently pulls the needle out of his hand. He barely feels it and only a small drop of blood appears in the puncture site. He holds the plastic bit of the needle between his fingers, so that when he makes a fist it sticks out. It’s hardly the most dangerous weapon, but it’s all Danny’s got. He arranges the line from the IV so that it looks like it’s still attached. At least he’ll have surprise on his side.

 

Danny waits tensely, adrenalin rushing through his system in preparation. Every whisper of a noise makes him jump. He’s nauseous with anticipation. He knows this is his only chance to escape. They won’t underestimate him again. If they don’t kill him for trying to escape. Tony might keep a cooler head, seems more concerned with the boss’s orders. The other guy is a loose canon.

 

It feels like ages as Danny waits, the room growing ever hotter. He’s sweating again, and despite, or possibly because of, having water thrown on him last night he smells pretty rancid. Thinking about having a nice cool long shower keeps Danny going. Being clean and cool sounds like heaven. Steve can join him, work out the tightness in Danny’s aching muscles.

 

Finally Danny hears the now familiar rattle of the door being unlocked. He tenses even more, his heart pounding. If both the men come in, his chances of success plument. Danny’s not to sure his chances with one guy are high to begin with, but he’s got to try. As luck would have it, not-Tony comes in alone. He’s got a cocky expression and Danny wonders what he has in store for Danny this time. Hopefully Danny won’t find out. Danny waits for the man to get nearer. He’s only got one shot and it’s got to be perfect. The man comes to stand in front of Danny.

 

“Get up,” he demands, “Doc says I should take the IV out and I’m not coming down there to do it.”

 

This is Danny’s chance. He comes up swinging, aiming for the man’s face where a needle will hopefully cause the most pain. Danny lands a hit to under the man’s chin and feels the needle go in easily and the man’s teeth click. He cries out and tries to push Danny away, but Danny is already withdrawing and getting out the way. Now on his feet, Danny punches him again, this time aiming for his eye. Knuckles connect with bone and the already bloody needle finds its mark, stabbing the man in the eye. He screams and Danny backs off again, leaving the needle behind this time. The man is holding his face, not focussed on Danny at all.

 

Danny grabs the damn bucket and smacks the man in the side of the head with it, not caring that he’s getting urine everywhere, including on himself. The man stumbles and Danny hits him again, this time knocking his head into the wall. The man goes down. He’s not unconscious, still clutches at his face, but he seems pretty disoriented. Danny aims a kick to the man’s face, where his hands are cupped around his eye. By the way the man howls Danny’s sure he just drove the needle deeper. Danny tries not to feel sick about it. Danny risks checking his pockets, the man groans as he’s jostled, but otherwise remains unaware. Danny finds a cellphone and cheers internally. With shaking hands he dials Steve’s number.

 

Danny is only aware of the way he’s gasping when he’s listening to the phone ring, waiting for Steve to pick up. He can’t stop himself taking big gulping breaths. He has no idea if he’s even going to be able to talk.

 

“McGarrett,” Steve answers, voice hard.

 

Danny’s heart thumps in his chest. He has no clue what to say.

 

“Who is this?” Steve demands, sounding deadly.

 

“Steve,” Danny gasps, sagging. It feels so good to hear his voice. Danny’s head pounds with the beating of his heart and his stomach spasms. It feels hard to talk, his throat scratchy and sore from being so dry.

 

“Danny?” Steve croaks.

 

“I don’t know where I am,” Danny finally manages to say, blurting it out quickly, “Warehouse. Probably abandoned. Not too far away from civilization. That’s all I know, I’m sorry.”

 

“That’s fine,” Steve says soothingly, “You’re doing well. We’re tracing the call, Danno. We’ll have you out in no time.”

 

“Ok,” Danny breathes a sigh of relief, “Ok good.”

 

“Danny, are you hurt?” Steve asks and Danny can feel his worry through the phone like hit to the head.

 

“M’fine,” Danny lies.

 

“No you’re not,” Steve says, “Tell me how bad.”

 

“Concussion, that’s pretty much it,” Danny says, ignoring the way his stomach is roiling. The cuts on his wrists don’t even feature. His side is probably bruised, as is his face, but Danny doesn’t think those things count, not now, not when Steve is coming to save him.

 

Danny misses what Steve says next because the door slams open and Tony bursts in with a gun in his hands. Danny freezes, his whole body going icy with fear.

 

“Toss the phone here,” Tony commands.

 

Danny does what he says and throws the phone towards him. He’s not taking any chances when he’s so close to freedom. Tony shoots the phone, completely destroying it and aims the gun at Danny.

 

“Don’t move,” he says, voice like a razor.

 

He approaches Danny slowly, pulling a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket. Danny would guess that they are his own.

 

“Turn around, arms behind you back,” Tony says, keeping the gun firmly pointed at Danny’s head.

 

Danny does as he’s told, hoping like hell that Steve managed to get a trace before Tony destroyed the phone. Tony secures the handcuffs around Danny’s wrists, making them tight enough to pinch his skin. There’s no way he’ll be able to slip them.

 

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth, you know that?” Tony says and then kicks Danny in the back and sends him sprawling face first into the concrete. Danny’s arms jerk to try and catch the fall, wrenching his shoulders and cutting his wrists further. His face stings where it scraped against the floor.

 

Not-Tony moans, drawing the attention of both Danny and Tony.

 

“Jesus Rick,” Tony says without sympathy, and who knew not-Tony had a name, “You’re a fucking menance.”

 

Tony picks Rick up off the floor roughly and shoves him towards the door. Rick whimpers as they move out of Danny’s field of vision. From the increase in pitch Danny guesses Tony is not being anymore gentle in the face of his distress.

 

“I don’t fucking get paid enough for this bullshit,” Tony grumbles.

 

The door to Danny’s cell slams shut and the rattling of the lock makes Danny’s stomach feel hollow and his heart clench.

 

Danny rolls onto his side and with great effort manages to sit up. He has no idea if Steve knows where he is or how long it will take for Steve to get here if he does. Tony might come back first, move Danny, or worse kill him. The adrenalin rush is fading, leaving Danny shaky and feeling sick. Danny feels like he blew his one chance. He should have gotten out quicker, talked to Steve on the way instead of doing his best impression of a sitting duck.

 

Danny’s used up all his energy in his botched escape attempt. He feels weak and groggy, so tired that even sitting up is a huge effort. His face hurts where it’s been grazed and there’s a dull throbbing where not-Tony - Rick - punched him yesterday. Fuck was that only yesterday? Danny feels like he’s spent weeks trapped in this horrible room. This nightmare.

 

There’s a sharp stabbing feeling in Danny’s stomach and panic grips Danny tightly. Not now. Not when his hands are tied fast behind his back and he can’t get his pants down. Not when help might be on the way. Not when Tony might come back at any minute. He’s already been humiliated beyond reason, he feels like his back will break if anymore shame gets piled on him.

 

He’s got to just hold on. Steve will find him, he has to. Danny can wait until then. He needs to calm down, distract himself. It’ll only make things worse if he gets hysterical. Danny tries to think about Steve, his go-to happy place besides Grace, but that only serves to make him worry more. Grace isn’t an option because then he has to think about his baby girl knowing her Danno is missing and Danny hates that he’s put her through that. Thinking about meaningful things just isn’t working for Danny and the pain is increasing rapidly.

 

Danny clenches hard, trying to stall the inevitable. The cramps get more and more severe to the point that he’s lightheaded and feeling a disconnect with reality. This is it, one of the things that’s always frightened him the most about his illness. He’s read stories online from other sufferers, stuck in cars or on trains, faced with occupied restrooms. He’s always hoped it wouldn’t happen to him, he’s been neurotic about only going to places with public restrooms, cases notwithstanding, always kept track of where the best toilets were. He never goes out when he thinks there’s a possibility of a flare-up. He’s lived the majority of his life inhibited because of his illness and now he’s going to shit his pants in a warehouse after being held prisoner for two days.

 

Danny fights it as long as he can, panting through the pain, telling himself to just hold on, hold it in. The pressure building in his bowels is unbearable and he knows he’s fighting a losing battle but even if he wanted to surrender he couldn’t. There’s too much conditioning in place, even when the pain makes him want to scream and tears are falling fast he can’t relax. All he’s doing is making the pain worse, he knows that.

 

There’s a sudden wet feeling between his ass cheeks and Danny chokes on a sob. It burns his raw skin and there’s not much Danny can do to stop it. He tries reaching into the back of his pants and tugging on his boxers but it just makes him feel more disgusting and hurts his wrists so he stops. There’s more pressure building in his abdomen, but when it releases it’s mostly gas. In a morbid glass-half-full thought, Danny supposes the upside of having barely eaten for three days - two in captivity and one before when he was too ill to eat properly - means that there’s very little to expel. The thought doesn’t comfort Danny much at all, but a hysterical laugh bursts out of him all the same.

 

Danny doesn’t dare move, afraid of making himself more aware of his predicament. He tries to breathe steadily and calm down. It’s over now, the worst has happened. He feels a sort of depressed acceptance. He rests his chin on his chest, his head feeling heavy. He’s completely worn out physically and emotionally. He knows he’s swimming in and out of consciousness now, moments of blackness punctuated by renewed panic as he wakes with a jerk. It’s so hot and Danny’s sticky with sweat and urine and excrement. The blackness is welcome. If Danny’s found he wants to be unconscious. Doesn’t want to have to deal with it.

 

Danny jerks awake to the sound of gunshots and Danny can only assume that means Steve’s here. The relief he feels is palpable and Danny is glad he’s sitting down otherwise he would have been in danger of falling over. The gunshots end quickly and Danny soon hears Steve, Chin and Kono calling his name.

 

“In here,” Danny tries to shout, his voice rough and a little hoarse.

 

They keep calling him and Danny hears the banging of various doors being forced open. With all the noise they’re making it’s no wonder they can’t hear him. Danny will have to remind them, again, that when you’re calling out for people you have to wait quietly in between to actually hear them. Chin should know better, at least.

 

“I’m here!” Danny tries again, a little louder this time.

 

“Danny?” Steve calls, and Danny can hear that he’s close.

 

“Yeah,” Danny says, trying to get to his feet. He’s reminded then of his situation. Suddenly the idea of Steve coming in here fills Danny with trepidation. There’s a bang and the door flies open and there’s Steve, face drawn tight with stress. He rushes towards Danny, holstering his gun and reaching out. Danny flinches away. He knows he’s repulsive right now, he doesn’t want Steve to see him like this. To smell him like this. Old sweat and vomit and piss and shit.

 

Steve must see his reaction because he slows, approaches Danny cautiously with raised palms.

 

“You ok, Danno?” Steve asks, coming closer.

 

“Don’t touch me,” Danny breathes, looking down.

 

“It’s alright, EMTs are on the way,” Steve says like he’s talking to a spooked animal, and that’s what Danny feels like at the moment; unhuman. Filthy and gross and broken down.

 

“It’s not that, not hurt” Danny tries to explain, but he can’t tell Steve how repellent he feels or why.

 

“I’m going to get those cuffs off you,” Steve says, moving behind Danny.

 

Danny wants to shy away from Steve, but with the cuffs off he’ll be more mobile, he’ll be able to do something. There’s a pinch to his wrists and Steve picks the lock. When the cuffs come off his wrists burn like hell, the cuts exposed to air. Danny brings his hands around and looks at the damage. It’s all superficial, he can tell, but his wrists are chafed red and there’s blood where the metal cut into his skin.

 

Danny pushes himself up and stands with a little difficulty. It’s impossible to ignore the situation in his pants and he grimaces at the wet feeling and the burn. Steve catches his elbow to steady him and Danny wants to pull away but fuck it’s Steve and he’s here. Danny wishes he could get closer, but a hand on his elbow will do for now. Danny starts hobbling to the door.

 

“Danny,” Steve says, trying to hide his alarm, “What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” Danny says quickly, “Just stiff.”

 

“Maybe we should wait for the EMTs to get here,” Steve says, clearly skeptical.

 

“I’m getting out of here under my own steam,” Danny says, continuing his awkward walk. Fuck it’s uncomfortable and now that Danny’s standing things are moving and he’s becoming even more self-conscious. Danny has no idea if Steve can smell anything past his reeking sweat.

 

Chin and Kono meet him in the corridor outside. They both look happy to see him and Kono immediately moves forward for a hug. Danny steps back, avoiding her and doesn’t miss the hurt look on her face or the way she glances at Steve for confirmation or reassurance. Chin frowns at him and visually checks him for injuries. Danny knows there’s not much to see besides the cut on his head and wrists and the bruising that must be on his face and neck. Danny is saved from having to explain himself by Chin’s radio going off, telling him that the ambulance has arrived.

 

It seems an impossibly long walk down the corridor, past doors that all look similar and into a huge open room, bare except for a few crates and boxes. There’s a clear outline of a body under a white sheet, blood seeping along the floor. Danny wonders whether it’s Tony or Rick. He doesn’t ask, doesn’t want to delay anymore. Chin and Kono walk in front, each casting looks back at Danny but thankfully saying nothing. They leave the warehouse and the flashing lights of HPD squad cars and the ambulance make Danny wince. There are too many people around and Danny doesn’t want any of them to see him, to get close enough to smell him. He doesn’t want to be known as the sick haole who shat his pants after being kidnapped. The EMTs grab him as soon as he’s out the building and lead him to the ambulance.

 

They sit him down and Danny grimaces at the squelchy feeling. He answers all their questions, gives them the basics of what happened: head wound, concussion, punch to the face, kick to the side, his hurt wrists, dehydration, not much food. Danny doesn’t miss the way Steve watches him intently, face growing darker as Danny lists his injuries. They check him over and declare a trip to the hospital is in order. Steve insists on riding with them and doesn’t give Danny a chance to say ‘No’. He holds Danny’s hand the entire way there.


	8. Chapter 8

At the hospital Danny is taken through to get treated and Steve is made to wait outside. Danny is torn between wanting desperately to be with Steve and being relieved that he can deal with everything away from him. Danny sweet talks a nurse into letting him use the restroom before he changes into a hospital gown. Seeing a real toilet should not be so comforting. A shower would be preferable, but for now wetting some toilet paper will do. As Danny cleans himself up he starts truly calming down. No one knows what happened and it will likely stay that way. He rinses his boxers out in the sink, erasing the last of the evidence. He stuffs them in a bag they gave him for his clothes. He’d rather not get the clothes back, if he’s honest.

 

He changes into the gown and sits on the bed in the treatment room, waiting for the nurse to return. Between the thin gown and the AC Danny is pleasantly cool. It feels glorious and he closes his eyes, just enjoying it. He zones out until the nurse comes in. She takes his bag of clothes and tells him the doctor will be with him soon. She’s got a quiet and kind manner about her and Danny instantly likes her. The nurse smiles and leaves. Danny lies back on the bed to wait, feeling lightheaded and drowsy. When the doctor comes in he scrambles to sit up but she waves him back down.

 

“You just rest there, Mr Williams,” the doctor says with a kind smile, “My name is Doctor Kahala, the paramedics apprised me of your situation. I’m sorry to hear about your ordeal.”

 

“It’s fine,” Danny shrugs, not really sure how else to respond.

 

“I’ve scheduled you for an X-ray and an MRI, we can’t be too careful with head injuries. I understand you lost consciousness after the initial blow?”

 

“Yeah,” Danny says.

 

“Alright,” Doctor Kahala says, not sounding too concerned.

 

The doctor examines his head carefully, feeling around the wound like the doctor in his cell did and Danny tries not to associate the two.

 

“You’re going to need stitches, I’m afraid,” she informs him.

 

Danny just nods in response.

 

“I’m going to put you on an antibiotic, it’s a precaution at this point, but we don’t want to risk that head wound getting infected, and given that you’re only getting treatment now,” the doctor pauses, looking uncomfortable at bringing up Danny’s kidnapping again, “I think it’s the best way to go.”

 

Danny suppresses a sigh, resigned to his fate. The antibiotics are going to be hell on his system like they always are. He was hoping for a respite once he got home, but the antibiotics pretty much guarantee another five days of pain and diarrhea. Danny tries not to feel too sorry for himself.

 

She moves onto his wrists, looking them over carefully.

 

“These are mostly superficial, although I’m sure they sting quite badly,” Doctor Kahala says kindly, “I’ll get a nurse to clean and wrap them for you.”

 

Danny nods again, to show that he’s heard. He’s too tired to be chatty. He just wants this all over with as quickly as possible. Now that he’s cleaner he just wants to see Steve. Danny needs to touch him properly and remind himself that he’s out of that godforsaken cell. This examination room may be more sterile, but it feels no less like an entrapment than his cell did. He still can’t do what he wants, see who he wants. He’s still at another person’s mercy.

 

“It looks like you got a bit roughed up too? Are you experiencing any pain other than your head?” she asks.

 

Danny takes a second to think about that. He doesn’t mention that his stomach is sore, he’s had way too many doctors treat him differently after he’s told them that he has IBS. It took him a long while to find a doctor in Jersey who would take him seriously and treat him properly and not disdainfully like he was wasting their time. He still gets his prescriptions emailed to him from his former doctor. It’s easier than going through the time and worse, the expense of finding another doctor in Hawaii.

 

“My side,” Danny says finally, “Got kicked a few times.”

 

“Ok,” Doctor Kahala nods, “I’m going to undo your gown and take a look, if you’ll just sit up for me?”

 

Danny does as he’s told and she rolls his gown down to his waist, protecting his modesty. Danny looks at his side properly for the first time. He’s mottled red and blue and black from the bruising, mostly on the lower part of his ribs. The doctor gently palpitates the area. It doesn’t hurt much.

 

“No broken bones, just bruising luckily,” she says, sounding satisfied.

 

“I’m going to get a nurse in here and we’ll start with your stitches and then the nurse will dress your wrists for you,” Doctor Kahala says, “When you’re done with the MRI and X-ray I want to start you on drip and we’ll see about getting you some food.”

 

“Yeah, ok,” Danny says. He’d expected this wouldn’t be a short visit.

 

The doctor leaves and comes back with the nurse from before. The nurse starts unpacking various packets and bottles, setting them on the table beside the bed. When she produces an electric hair clipper Danny eyes it suspiciously.

 

“I’m sorry, hon,” she says, “But we’re going to have to shave the area where you need stitches.”

 

Danny frowns at that; it probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone how much pride he has in his hair.

 

“Are you sure?” Danny asks, hoping for an alternative.

 

“Yes, I’m sorry,” she apologises again.

 

Danny sighs and nods. At least it’s on the side of his head; he could shave both sides and go shorter in the back, keep the top long. It will be more 20’s gangster than Ponyboy, but he’ll be able to pull it off. She only shaves the small area where the wound is, being careful not to press too hard. Danny longs to look in a mirror to see the damage, figure out how salvageable his hairstyle is. The nurse cleans the wound with gauze soaked antiseptic and gives way to the doctor.

 

The doctor only ends up giving him three stitches and it’s over before he knows it. He doesn’t feel a thing thanks to the anesthetic. Danny’s gotten his fair share of stitches in his time. It’s kind of old hat to him. The nurse dresses the wound with a medium sized bandaid. She cleans his wrists with an antiseptic and follows that with an antibacterial ointment before placing gauze pads over the cuts and wrapping them. She’s gentle and sweet with him and reminds him a lot of his mom. She’s a breath of fresh air after the last few days.

 

She tuts at the bruise on his face and his neck and wipes the gazes on his face with antiseptic as well. She tells him how to care for the injuries and asks him if he has anyone to help him. Danny tells her that his partner will take care of it and she smiles kindly at him. It reminds Danny all over again how much he wants to see Steve. He feels bad that he kept his distance when Steve rescued him, he knows Steve must have craved contact with him as much as Danny did. Danny stands by his decision though. Even now that it’s over he still doesn’t want anyone to know, even Steve. Maybe especially Steve.

 

+

 

All told it takes another two hours before Danny is set up in a room after the MRI and X-ray. The timed passed quickly for Danny having fallen asleep during the MRI and again while he was waiting for the X-ray. The good news is that his skull is intact and his brain looks normal, which relieves Danny greatly. The doctor does however warn him about the cumulative effects of concussions and urges him to avoid situations where concussions are likely - like Danny can stop criminals from aiming for his head. Yeah. Right.

 

They want to keep him overnight for observation and so that he can complete another round of IV fluids. Danny is less than thrilled but too tired to argue. Danny insists of showering once he’s settled. The nurse tries to offer him a sponge bath, but Danny turns on the half charm half poor me puppy eyes and the nurse relents. The shower is heavenly and Danny soaps himself up twice and then stands under the hot spray for way too long. He can feel his tense muscles relaxing a bit and being clean and smelling better goes a long way to making Danny feel more like himself.

 

When he comes out of the bathroom the nurse rebandages his wrists and replaces the bandaid on his head. She’s starting the IV when Steve comes in, face like a storm cloud. To anyone else he probably looks like a man on a mission, but Danny can see how frantic he is, and wonders if anyone updated Steve on his condition or if he’s spent the entire time not knowing how Danny was.

 

“Babe,” Danny says softly, reaching out his hand that doesn’t have the needle in “Come here.”

 

Steve hesitates, glancing at the nurse, but his need for contact must outweigh his dislike of public displays of affection because he’s grabbing Danny’s hand and gently trailing his fingers over Danny’s bruised and scraped cheek, his eyes darting over Danny like they can scan for injury.

 

“I’m ok,” Danny says, squeezing Steve’s hand, “Really.”

 

Steve shakes his head and Danny can see his close to losing it so he doesn’t say anything else and waits for Steve to collect himself. The nurse mentions something about getting Danny some food and leaves, but Danny keeps his eyes on Steve. It was only two days, but Danny missed Steve something awful. He doesn’t dare look away for fear of Steve disappearing.

 

“I’m so sorry, Danny,” Steve says finally, composed enough to speak, “I let you down.”

 

“Babe, what do you mean?” Danny asks, confused.

 

Steve slumps into the chair beside the bed but doesn’t let go of Danny’s hand.

 

“I should have found you sooner,” Steve says, like he’s confessing his worst secret.

 

“Hey now,” Danny says, tugging on Steve’s hand for emphasis, “You got me out.”

 

“If you hadn’t called me, I don’t know if I’d ever have found you. Danny there was nothing, no leads, I spent two days not able to do anything,” Steve rubs his eyes with his free hand.

 

“Steve please, don’t blame yourself,” Danny says, not telling Steve that it’s Danny who should be sorry. If he’d been more on the ball, if he hadn’t been sick, none of this would have happened, “Please do that for me.”

 

Steve nods hesitantly, but Danny can see that he doesn’t agree. Steve’s guilt complex is too well developed for Steve to let it go that easily.

 

“Tell me what happened,” Steve says, like a man heading for his execution. Whatever Steve’s been imagining the past two days, Danny knows it’s dark and damaging. Steve hasn’t told Danny everything he’s been through, but from the nightmares that have Steve waking up panting and sweaty and shaky, Danny knows enough.

 

“It’s not as bad as you’re thinking,” Danny says, trying to allay Steve’s fears.

 

The look on Steve’s face screams ‘I’ll be the judge of that’ and Danny can’t stop his small smile at Steve being so Steve.

 

“Before I start I just want to know one thing,” Danny says, “There were two guys, did you get them?”

 

“Only one,” Steve says and from the tensing in his shoulders Danny can tell that Steve sees it as  failure, “Tall, dark hair.”

 

“Tony,” Danny confirms, “Ok.”

 

Danny tells Steve the abridged version of what happened; how he can’t remember how they got the jump on him, that he didn’t get much water and less food. He tells Steve about the doctor and the drip, and that Rick took exception to him and hit him a few times, that he’s the reason Danny’s got bruises on his neck. Danny doesn’t tell Steve about the bucket. Not a single thing to do with it. He doesn’t say that his flareup continued while he was being held captive or that he threw up or that he messed his pants. When Danny tells him about stabbing Rick in the eye Steve almost cracks a smile and there’s a proud glint in his eyes, but it disappears quickly when Danny tells him how Tony came in with the gun and handcuffed him.

 

“I shouldn’t have killed him so quickly,” Steve says darkly, and Danny understands where he’s coming from, had thought those dark thoughts himself.

 

“Torturing him, beating him up or whatever, it wouldn’t change anything,” Danny says, because he’s said the same thing to himself many times, “Just because we’re on this side of the law doesn’t mean we get to do the same things they do and call it justice.”

 

“I know,” Steve sighs.

 

There’s a lull in conversation now that Danny’s finished his story and they sit quietly together for a while. Danny can’t tell if Steve sensed that Danny was holding back or not. Steve eyes the bandaid on his head and reaches out with his free hand to lightly touch it.

 

“They shave your head?” Steve asks.

 

“Yeah,” Danny says morosely.

 

“It’s not too bad,” Steve says, tracing the outline of the bandaid with his thumb.

 

“Might have to shave the rest of the sides,” Danny says, leaning into Steve and trying to encourage more petting. Steve catches on because he gently cards his fingers through Danny’s hair.

 

“We’ve got clippers at home, I’ll help you if that’s what you decide,” Steve says, continuing to play with Danny’s hair.

 

“Dunno. Might try to give me a buzzcut,” Danny mumbles. Danny’s head feels heavy, like it’s sinking into the pillow. He can feel his eyes drooping but he tries to keep them open, so he can keep watching Steve. Some of the stress lines on Steve’s face are disappearing.

 

Danny’s calm is interrupted by the nurse coming back in with a tray and a bowl of broth on it. Danny eyes the broth wearily, unsure if it’s safe to eat for him. Danny thanks the nurse anyway as she leaves.

 

“Should I grab you some Ensure instead?” Steve asks, and Danny’s so grateful he could cry.

 

“Fuck babe, yeah, thank you,” Danny says, wondering how he got so lucky.

 

“I won’t be long,” Steve says, getting up, “I know Chin and Kono want to see you, I should have gone to fetch them a long time ago but…”

 

“But what?” Danny asks.

 

“I just wanted you to myself for a while,” Steve finishes.

 

Danny smiles at Steve, warmth settling in his chest. Danny never doubts how much Steve loves him, but he never gets tired of hearing or seeing the proof of that.

 

“I’m glad it could be just us for a bit,” Danny says, “Now go so that you can come back.”

 

Steve grins at that.

 

“I let Rachel know that we got you back, she and Gracie should be coming to see you soon,” Steve says.

 

Danny at once feels both excited and guilty. He desperately wants to see his little girl, but the knowledge of what he put her through burns him.

  
“I’ll be back soon,” Steve says, kissing Danny’s forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are going to slow down for a bit now. Sorry about that, but I promise it won't be ages between updates and there's still a lot more to come.


	9. Chapter 9

They’d given him painkillers earlier, for his head and the bruising, so between that, the general exhaustion and Steve’s magical hair playing slash head rubbing ability, Danny’s seriously drifting by the time Kono and Chin come into his room. They both look concerned, and it takes a moment for Danny to understand why because he’s fine now. Kono’s hanging back, like she’s not sure what to do.

 

“Come ‘ere,” Danny slurs, opening his arms for a hug. Kono comes easily, hugging Danny gently and smiling as they part. Danny blinks a few times, trying to make himself more alert.

 

“Better to hug me now,” Danny says lightly, “Pretty sure I was rank with sweat before.”

 

From the way Chin and Kono smile he’s guessing that’s all they smelled on him.

 

“Not much different from McGarrett after a workout,” Chin jokes.

 

“Yeah, and I’ve seen the way you all try to avoid him,” Danny says, “I know your style.”

 

Chin offers Kono the chair closest to Danny and grabs another one from the corner and pulls it up to sit next to her.

 

“So, you’re ok?” Chin says, the concern bleeding back into his face.

 

“I’m fine,” Danny says, “Just a bit bruised, a little dehydrated and in need of a good meal.”

 

“That’s good, brah,” Kono says with a smile, “It’s good to have you back.”

 

Chin nods in agreement.

 

“How did-” Danny clears his throat, “How did Steve handle it?”

 

“How do you expect?” Kono says, eyebrows furrowing, “He was a mess.”

 

“No, I mean, was he superSEAL death stare, or…” Danny struggles to find another description.

 

“He was barely holding it together,” Chin says, “I’ve never seen Steve so close to losing it before. When we found the blood in your office and the dolphin, I thought he was going to pass out.”

 

“What dolphin?” Danny says, confused.

 

“You don’t remember?” Chin asks.

 

“No,” Danny shakes his head, “Concussion took care of that.”

 

“The one Grace gave you,” Kono answers, “They must have hit you with it.”

 

“Those fucking assholes,” Danny sneers.

 

“Yeah,” Chin agrees, “Look let’s just say that if we hadn’t got to you when we did, I don’t think Steve would have been able to keep it together.”

 

“But Danny,” Kono says, reaching out her and and resting it on Danny’s arm, “Don’t make this all about Steve, ok?”

 

Before Danny can ask her what she means he hears the delighted shout of, “Danno!” and Grace comes barreling into the room.

 

“Monkey!” Danny says, Grace’s joy easily infecting him.

 

Rachel follows more sedately behind Grace, at seven months pregnant she’s walking a little slower than usual. She smiles when she sees Danny, but her eyes turn sad when they land on the bruises on Danny’s face and neck.

 

“Come get on the bed so I can give you a proper hug,” Danny says to Grace, moving over slightly so that there’s room. Grace climbs on carefully and wraps her arms around him as best she can, lying on his chest. Danny engulfs her in a hug, taking a deep breath in and inhaling the unique scent of his baby girl. Chin and Kono get up to leave, Chin offering his seat to Rachel. They say goodbye quietly, clearly not wanting to intrude on Danny’s time with his daughter, and Danny nods his thanks at them.

 

Danny kisses the top of Graces head, “You alright, Monkey?”

 

Graces sniffs and nods against his chest. “I just missed you,” she mumbles.

 

“I missed you too,” Danny says, “You know I love you more than anything, right?”

 

“I know,” Grace says, loosening her hold on Danny. She sits up, but doesn’t make any moves to get off the bed, which Danny doesn’t mind one bit.

 

“Did they hurt you badly?” Grace asks in a small, scared voice.

 

“Me?” Danny says with a smile, “Never.”

 

“Danno,” Grace whines.

 

“Baby,” Danny says, stroking Grace’s hair, “It’s just a few bruises, nothing serious.”

 

“Then why are you in hospital?” Grace asks. She’s getting too old and too clever to just blindly believe her parents’ platitudes now. He feels terrible that Grace had to go through this, that she even has to ask him these questions.

 

“Because I haven’t had enough to drink the last few days and the best way to fix that is to be on a drip,” Danny answers, waving his hand with the IV in it, “They won’t let me go home until this is done.”

 

Grace nods at that and seems satisfied. Rachel looks a little alarmed but hides it before Grace can see. Grace might not understand the subtext of what Danny said, but it’s given Rachel a small insight into what Danny has been through.

 

“How are you doing, Rach?” Danny asks, deflecting.

 

“Oh, I’m fine,” Rachel says with a soft smile, her hand going to her stomach. She looks beautiful pregnant. Danny remembers he couldn’t keep his hands off of her when she was pregnant with Grace, constantly in awe of her changing body and the new life growing inside of her. The memory no longer comes with the sharp pain that it did after the divorce, nor the longing that Danny had felt when his anger wasn’t present. He’s merely happy for her, and comfortable in acknowledging her beauty, because that’s all it is now; acknowledgement. There is not want or desire anymore and Danny’s grateful for that.

 

“That’s good,” Danny smiles.

 

Steve comes back then, bottle of Ensure in his hand. Grace scrambles off the bed to go and hug him.

 

“Uncle Steve,” she exclaims, wrapping her arms around him.

 

“Gracie,” Steve smiles, hugging her back.

 

“Hello Steve,” Rachel says with a smile.

 

“Hey Rachel,” Steve says, letting Grace go and walking to the other side of Danny’s bed.

 

“Here you go, babe,” Steve says, handing the bottle to Danny.

 

“Thanks,” Danny says, tilting the bottle at Steve like he would a beer.

 

“I think we should get going,” Rachel says, trying to stand but having a little difficulty.

 

“Wait, let me help you,” Steve says, rushing around and giving Rachel a hand up.

 

“Sorry,” Rachel says with a smile, “It’s these low chairs. Of course, it’s only going to get harder as I get bigger.”

 

“Mom,” Grace says, “Do we have to go?”

 

“Yes, honey,” Rachel replied, “Your dad needs his rest.”

 

“Ok,” Grace says a little sullenly.

 

“Come give me another hug before you go,” Danny says, and is immediately swamped by Grace. He holds her tightly for a few seconds before letting go, “I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

 

“I love you too,” Grace says.

 

Danny starts on the Ensure once Grace and Rachel leave and he’s sure it’s never tasted so good before. He makes himself drink it slowly, aware that his stomach might rebel if he drinks too quickly. Steve sits down on the chair and seems content with watching Danny. The silence is pleasant and Danny’s just glad to have Steve around. He knows that they need to talk about the fact that Rick got away, about who his boss might be. Danny will need to sit down with a sketch artist and describe Rick so they can get started on trying to find him. But for now things are calm and he’s got Steve and he’s finally getting proper sustenance.

 

Finished with the Ensure, Danny places the bottle on the table next to him. He lies back and turns his head to look at Steve. Steve is slumped in the chair, looking exhausted but mostly peaceful. Danny feels truly safe for the first time in days; he’s not in any pain, he’s not thirsty or hungry, he’s neither hot nor cold. Danny doesn’t notice when his eyes close and he drifts off to sleep.

 

+

 

Doctor Kahala comes by to check on him late afternoon. She tells him that he’s doing well and will definitely be released tomorrow. The IV bag gets changed and when Steve comes back in after the doctor leaves he gives Danny a bottle of gatorade to help speed his rehydration. Steve stays with him as long as he’s allowed, fetching Danny something for supper rather than letting the hospital feed him in case there’s something that Danny reacts to. The meal is simple and bland and Danny absolutely does not mind. Steve eats with him but when he’s cleaning up after the meal a nurse comes in and tells him he has to leave for the night. The expression on Steve’s face mirrors how Danny feels. Being left alone in hospital is the last thing Danny wants, but they both know that arguing is futile.

 

Steve kisses him goodbye, keeping it chaste though Danny knows what Steve really wants and needs is to reaffirm that Danny’s there and mostly fine and the best way Steve knows how to do that is physically. If Danny had his way he’d be going home, sharing their bed after what feels like weeks. He’d happily lie back and let Steve do whatever he wants. Danny just wants to be home, and that doesn’t just mean the house or the bed, but mostly it means Steve.

 

“Don’t forget to come spring me tomorrow,” Danny says, knowing full well that Steve will be at the hospital bright and early and probably hours before Danny’s released.

 

“I don’t know, I might have something on,” Steve says, grinning.

 

“Yeah, well, if your schedule clears up, you know where I’ll be,” Danny smiles back.

 

Steve leans in for another kiss, then quietly says, “I love you.”

 

“I love you too,” Danny responds.

  
Steve leaves and Danny is given more painkillers, but despite them sleep is difficult. The noises in a hospital at night are strange and the light is all wrong and Danny keeps waking up and having to reacclimate himself to being in the hospital rather than his cell. Which makes him angry because he was only in there for two nights, it shouldn’t be that big a deal. It’s not like he was tortured. Danny puts it down to how disquieting hospitals are. Morning can’t come soon enough.


	10. Chapter 10

Danny is released the next day with little fanfare. As expected, Steve is there long before Danny’s scheduled to be discharged, and completely outside of regular hospital visiting hours, but the staff seem to know that trying to keep Steve out would be a task in futility. Danny reckons they have more important things to do, like caring for the patients that actually need their attention.

 

Doctor Kahala seems happy to be sending him home, but reminds him of the importance of finishing his antibiotics and that the dressings need changing at least once a day and what signs to look for in case of infection. It’s all stuff Danny’s heard a million times before, but he still gives her his full attention; he doesn’t want to end up having to visit the hospital again anytime soon. Steve also seems to be listening intensely, like he’s at a briefing and not listening to a doctor tell him things he already knows.

 

Steve brought him clothes from home, a t-shirt, boxers and a pair of shorts. It makes Danny smile because Steve never misses a chance to see Danny dressed more casually, even though he’s seen it plenty of times before; it’s not like Danny dresses in his work clothes on the weekend or on days off. Danny had originally thought that the novelty would wear off for Steve, but apparently not. Steve hovers over Danny like he’s going to help Danny dress, but Danny shoos him away.

 

Getting into the Camaro and knowing that he’s heading home makes Danny feel a profound sense of relief. Steve doesn’t even drive too insanely, so Danny finds the drive rather restful. Danny sighs happily when the house comes into view. Inside is peaceful and comforting and the idea that Danny might not have ever gone home again, that he might have died in that cell chills him to the core. As far as Danny’s concerned it’s pure luck that he got out, luck and Steve getting to him in time. Danny tries not to dwell on the fact that if he hadn’t been sick he’d have never been in that situation in the first place.

 

Danny has Ensure for breakfast, having refused again what the hospital offered for fear of what it might do to his stomach. He takes his second dose of antibiotics and a couple of painkillers for his lingering headache and the bruises. He’s not interested in trying to tough it out, he’s dealt with enough pain, both recently and in his life generally. Steve hovers around Danny, always in reach, touching him whenever he gets a chance without hemming Danny in. It’s like Steve knows exactly where to be, how to offer physical comfort without smothering Danny.

 

Danny takes Steve’s hand and brings him out onto the lanai. Looking out over the yard and beyond to the ocean, all that space and calmness, Danny just wants to take it all in. Two days of nothing but four metal walls and suddenly this view is a marvel. Not that he didn’t appreciate it before, once he’d gotten over his hatred for Hawaii, but it’s different now. Danny wants to scoff at himself. It doesn’t feel like he has a right to feel like this. Two days is nothing. Two days pass in the blink of an eye and Danny knows he got off easy. He knows that things could have been so much worse for him. He knows that Steve’s been through worse. It’s not so much that Danny feels guilty, but as scared and out of it and sick as he was, it doesn’t seem real now. It doesn’t seem so big now that it’s behind him. He’s home and he’s safe and that’s what matters.

 

Steve stands behind Danny and wraps his arms loosely around his waist and hooks his chin over Danny’s shoulder. Danny puts his hands over Steve’s.

 

“You ok?” Steve asks, tightening his arms ever so slightly.

 

“Yeah,” Danny says, swaying them a little, “I’m actually alright.”

 

Danny’s not sure if Steve takes him at his word, but Steve kisses his cheek and doesn’t push further. They’re quiet for a few moments.

 

“My parents and sisters arrive tomorrow,” Danny says, just realising the date.

 

“I didn’t tell them,” Steve says, sounding guilty.

 

“Didn’t tell them what?” Danny asks.

 

“That you were… missing,” Steve answers hesitantly.

 

“That’s ok,” Danny says, thinking about it for a moment, “It’s good actually, it means they didn’t have to stress.”

 

“It’s your family though,” Steve says slowly, like he’s trying to work something out, “Shouldn’t they know?”

 

“It’s not a big deal,” Danny reasoned, because it’s not like he feels extremely traumatised.

 

“Danny,” Steve admonishes.

 

“I’m not saying I’ll keep it from them! I’ll tell them when they get here,” Danny defends, “It’s not like they won’t notice the bruises.”

 

“Alright,” Steve says, sounding satisfied, then pauses, “I just couldn’t make that call, Danny.”

 

“Hey, babe,” Danny says, turning around so that he can look at Steve properly, “I understand, and it’s all good. You don’t need to feel bad, ok?”

 

Steve nods then leans down and pulls Danny into a kiss. Danny responds happily, curling his hands into Steve’s shirt and revelling in the soft slide of lips. Steve’s tongue keeps tasting Danny’s lips, like he’s holding back from deepening the kiss but still can’t control the automatic movement. Danny takes things into his own hands and deepens the kiss for him. Steve moans, gathering Danny closer, grabbing at his back so that’s they are flush, his knees bent so that they are better aligned. The kiss is slow and thorough and Danny’s sure that his three days worth of stubble must be scratchy as hell on Steve’s skin, but Steve isn’t showing any signs of discomfort.

 

Danny can feel that Steve’s getting hard, that telltale bulge growing against Danny’s hip. Steve’s almost always quicker than him and it never fails to send a thrill through Danny, to know that Steve wants him so bad, that just a kiss turns him on so much. Danny’s rarely far behind once he sees or feels the evidence of Steve’s arousal. Right now though, Danny’s still mostly soft, although his mind is definitely on board. Danny puts it down to painkillers and the pain itself; his head is still achy, his wrists sting when he moves them too much and his side is a little tender. Not that it’s impeding Danny’s ability to enjoy Steve’s lips on his or the way Steve’s hands are now running up and down his back. Danny knows he’s just going to take a little longer to get there than normal.

 

Danny pulls back from the kiss, his lips tingling, “Hey, how about you join me in the shower, help me get the hospital smell off me?”

 

“Yeah,” Steve says, eyes a little glazed over at the thought. Steve’s a water baby and will never pass up the opportunity to get wet and slippery with Danny. It’s made them late for work on more than a few occasions.

 

They don’t talk as they go upstairs, Steve behind Danny and almost certainly ogling his ass.  Steve helps Danny unwrap the bandages on his wrists. The cuts are already scabbing over. They leave the bandaid on Danny’s head on, it being waterproof. They undress themselves and Steve turns on the shower and makes sure it’s the right temperature. Danny can’t help but scan Steve’s body. Nothing has changed, which is only natural seeing as the last time he saw Steve naked was three days ago. He’s still tanned and muscular and godlike, his fading tattoos still adorn those strong arms and broad shoulders, there’s the scar where Hesse shot him in the shoulder and the new ones on his thigh, only a few months old. They’re still pinkish in places, especially the exit wound one, but they’re starting to fade to brown and white. It’s nice to know that Steve’s still all there, that this hasn’t changed. Steve’s cock is fully hard now, sticking out in front of him with that slight curve left. It bobs as Steve turns to Danny.

 

“Water’s good,” Steve says, holding his hand out and drawing Danny into the water with him.

 

Danny sighs happily as the water hits him, warm and firm against his back, Steve at his front. Steve runs his hand lightly over Danny’s bruised side. It doesn’t come as a surprise to Steve, Danny had told him about getting kicked. The expression on Steve face is shuttered and if Danny were to hazard a guess he’d say that he’s imagining what payback he could inflict. Danny pulls Steve into a kiss, not wanting the last few days to be with them here, to be between them when all Danny wants is Steve. Steve relaxes into Danny, mouth soft against his and Danny knows it’s done the trick. Steve cock goes sliding over Danny’s stomach as he tries to get closer.

 

Steve breaks the kiss to mouth along Danny’s jaw, teeth scraping against stubble, following the line down Danny’s neck and hitting that spot that never fails to make Danny shiver. Steve runs his hands over Danny’s back, first up to his shoulders, then down so that his fingers come to rest just above the swell of Danny’s ass, pressing into that spot above his tailbone that makes his hips jerk forward. Danny’s not hard yet, but his dick is starting to take notice of the proceedings. Steve sucks at the place where his neck and shoulder meet and moves his hands lower, palming Danny’s ass. Danny suppressed the urge to pull away. He knows Steve won’t take it further without Danny’s say so, but he’s still a little raw and sensitive and what Steve’s doing is making him sting a little. Danny moves Steve’s hands back up and Steve gets the message because he settles his hands on Danny’s hips and pulls back.

 

“You alright?” Steve asks, concerned. His eyes flick down to where Danny’s cock is only just starting to perk up.

 

“I’m great,” Danny smiles reassuringly. He grabs the soap and a wash cloth and hands them to Steve, “Have at it.”

 

Steve grins and lathers up the cloth. He takes his time cleaning Danny, starting with his shoulders and chest, long slow swipes. He thumbs at Danny’s nipples through the cloth before running the cloth down Danny’s stomach. He goes up Danny’s sides gently, but doesn’t linger. He lifts up one of Danny’s arms and rubs the cloth against his armpit, his cock bumping into Danny’s stomach as he moves. He repeats the process of the other side, the soaps down Danny’s arms, stopping well before Danny’s wrists. Danny feels cared for, even worshiped maybe, and it’s going a long way to getting him hard, his cock starting fill properly now.

 

Steve puts the cloth aside and soaps up his hands. He shoots Danny a smirk and takes Danny’s cock in his hands, gripping him loosely and running soapy fingers slowly from root to tip, over and over again. He does that for a while, keeping up the slow slippery rhythm and making Danny gasp and thrust involuntarily into Steve’s hands. Danny’s fully hard now and between the water beating down on his back and the way Steve’s relentlessly handling his cock and oh taking Danny’s earlobe between his teeth and worrying it, Danny’s in the most delicious sensory overload. He can’t do anything but clutch at Steve’s shoulders and gasp for breath. Steve moves one hand to Danny’s balls, rolling them firmly while he continues to jack Danny’s cock with the other. There’s warm pleasure building low in Danny’s stomach and he’s about to come when Steve lets go of his cock and tugs on his balls, stalling his orgasm. Danny’s eyes fly open, not having realised he even closed them and a choked sound escapes him.

 

“Fuck,” Danny breathes. The tension of impending orgasm still there but suddenly unreachable.

 

“I know,” Steve says, stroking Danny’s face, “But I want to do this properly, on a bed.”

 

“Yeah, fine” Danny says, making to leave the shower but Steve pulls him back.

 

“Let me wash your hair first,” Steve says, voice low like he’s suggesting something a lot more racy.

 

Danny nods, responding more to the tone of Steve’s voice than his suggestion. Steve grabs the shampoo and pours it into his palm and rubs his hands together. He buries his hands in Danny’s hair, avoiding the bandaid. Slowly he rubs circles into Danny’s scalp, lathering the shampoo until it’s falling off in foamy drifts. He takes his time, finding all the tense spots and massaging them out. He rinses Danny’s hair and starts all over again with the conditioner. Danny’s cock is still begging for attention, twitching whenever Steve digs his fingers into particularly difficult spots, massaging them into submission. Danny’s starting to feel like a pile of goo, unsure how he’s even standing anymore, the only thing left hard is his cock. Steve rinses his hair out again and kisses him softly.

 

“Go wait for me on the bed,” Steve asks, voice gravelly.

 

Danny complies leaving Steve washing himself in the shower while Danny grabs his towel and dries off. He goes out into the bedroom, the air cool on his skin after the hot shower. He lies down on the bed on top of the duvet, his skin prickling pleasantly. Steve joins him not long after, droplets of water still sitting on his chest and shoulders where me missed them when drying himself quickly. He climbs onto the bed and kisses Danny deeply, devouring him. When he pulls back Danny’s all but panting and his cock is starting to ache, pre-come pooling on his stomach where his cock is lying against it.

 

Steve grabs some oil from the bedside table and before Danny can worry about where Steve is taking this he straddles Danny’s thighs and he pours the cool oil directly onto Danny’s cock. Steve bites his lip as Danny’s cock twitches and Danny gasps. Steve takes Danny’s cock in both hands, gripping him firmly and running his fists from the base up to the head, one after each other so that his cock is constantly encased in Steve’s hands. He’s ruthless, twisting at the end of each stroke just like Danny likes, his hands working him over without missing a beat.

 

He locks eyes with Danny and his expression is so determined that if Danny had any spare brain cells that weren’t taken up by the sheer pleasure he is experiencing he’d probably laugh. As it is, he just gasps and grabs Steve’s thighs to steady himself, feeling like he’s about to fly away. Steve’s weight on his legs stop him from bucking up into Steve’s grip and Danny’s left with no other option but to just lie back and feel.

 

“You gonna come soon?” Steve asks, eager and breathless like he’s the one having his brains jacked out of his cock and not Danny. Danny can only nod.

 

Steve speeds up, squeezing Danny rhythmically as he does and Danny can feel his balls drawing up and that burny warm pressure in the pit of his stomach and then he’s coming, ribbons spurting onto his stomach and chest, his whole body spasming with the force of his orgasm. Steve slows but doesn’t stop, even after he’s wrung Danny dry. Keeps working Danny’s cock, making him twitch and writhe under Steve, until Danny starts going soft and he’s lying boneless on the bed.

 

Steve gets up on his knees, his cock red and swollen and bobbing for attention. He gathers up Danny’s come in his right hand and wraps it around his cock. He doesn’t ease himself into it, just starts jerking his cock furiously, racing towards to finished. He grips Danny’s hip with his free hand, oily fingers slipping over Danny’s skin. His eyes are closed, scrunched up and there’s a beautiful flush high on his cheeks.

 

“I love you,” Danny says, and that’s it, Steve lets out a deep, primal groan and then he’s painting Danny’s chest with come, gasping with each twitch of his cock.

 

Steve slumps over, one hand on the bed next to Danny’s chest, holding himself up, the other still holding his cock. His lips seek Danny’s and he kisses sloppily like he always does after sex, coordination out the window and desperate to stay connected to Danny in some way. Danny runs his hands soothingly over Steve’s back, guiding him to lie half on Danny. Danny reaches a hand down gently takes Steve’s hand away from his cock. Steve’s still mostly hard and Danny strokes him a few times, making Steve jerk and whine and his cock twitches valiantly.

 

“Fuck, babe, so good,” Steve says, burying his face in Danny’s neck.

 

“I should be saying that to you,” Danny says, wrapping his arms around Steve and holding him.

 

They lie quietly for a few minutes, too blissed out to move. Danny’s feeling sleepy again, even though it’s only late morning. Steve presses a kiss to Danny’s neck and gets up, coming back with a cloth to clean Danny off. He pulls on a pair of boxer-briefs, smiling when he sees Danny watching him. Steve’s face is a little red from Danny’s stubble and he makes a note to shave as soon as he’s able to get up

 

“I’m going to get the stuff for you wrists,” Steve says, heading downstairs where they left the bag of gauze pads, antibiotic ointment and bandages.

 

He’s back quickly and sets about dressing Danny’s wrists again. It will be a few days until he can go without the bandages. Steve starts with the ointment, smearing it liberally on the cuts. He places the gauze pads with great care and expertly wraps the bandages around his wrists, securing them with clips. When he’s done he kisses the palms of Danny’s hands.

 

Danny gets up then to take a leak, grabbing a pair of boxers as he goes, putting them on when he’s done. He washes his hands and checks his hair out in the mirror. The chunk of hair they shaved off is small but noticeable. He feels a sudden urge to get that sorted as soon as possible.

 

“Hey babe,” Danny calls through the door he didn’t bother to close, “I might have to take you up on your offer.”

 

“What offer?” Steve asks, poking his head in.

 

“To shave the sides of my head,” Danny answers, turning his head this way and that, trying to decide if it’s the best way to go.

 

Steve comes into the bathroom and stands behind Danny.

 

“If we take it from here,” Steve says, placing his index fingers on either sides of Danny’s hair, just above his temples, “I think it would work.”

 

“Mmm,” Danny says considering, “Not to the skin though, maybe a number three?”

 

“I think so,” Steve says, kissing the side of Danny’s head, “Are you really going to let me do this?”

 

“Yeah,” Danny smiles, “I trust you.” Danny just wants this done, doesn’t want to have to wait for a hair appointment, or have to walk around with a chunk of his hair missing.

 

Steve grins at that. He grabs the clippers from the cabinet under the sink and fits on the proper attachment.

 

“You ready?” Steve asks.

 

Danny takes a deep breath, “Yeah.”

 

Steve goes slowly, making sure he doesn’t cut above the line they’d agreed on, taking it a little lower at the back of Danny’s head, but making sure he’s not left with a mullet. Danny tenses as he feels the hair falling off, but he meant it when he said he trusted Steve. When Steve’s done it takes Danny a second to get up the courage to look in the mirror. He scrutinises himself, the change in his appearance is strange after having the same haircut for so long. All in all, Steve actually did a good job. It feels odd, but Danny’s happy with it.

 

“You realise this basically means we’re married, right?” Danny says, catching Steve’s eye in the mirror where he’s looking at Danny worriedly.

 

“Oh yeah?” Steve says, relaxing, “Is this some Jersey custom I don’t know about?”

  
“Yup,” Danny says. He turns around and pulls Steve closer, “Thanks babe.”


	11. Chapter 11

Danny shaves and dresses in a button up and slacks, much to Steve’s obvious disappointment. After lunch Steve drives Danny to HPD where Danny needs to give a statement about his kidnapping and sit with a sketch artist to draw up a composite of Rick. Danny tells Steve that he is happy going on his own, but Steve insists on coming along. Danny tells the officer taking his statement the same story he told Steve. All the details are there except for the flareup and Danny doesn’t miss the way Steve tenses up when Danny talks. Danny gets it, Steve’s overprotective on the best of days and Danny’s pretty much the same with Steve, he doesn’t mind admitting that. But Danny also knows with complete certainty that Steve’s gone through way worse. Steve may not have detailed everything that’s happened to him, but he has told Danny that he was held captive by the enemy (Danny still doesn’t know which enemy) and Danny’s held him through too many nightmare comedowns to pretend otherwise. Danny knows that what he went through pales in comparison.

 

Danny’s a little nervous going into HPD, they’re not pleasant to him at the best of times, to a lot of them he’s still the obnoxious haole who didn’t even try to fit in. A few of them were outside the warehouse yesterday, saw him dirty and limping and he’s sure that the people here who still hate him would have enjoyed seeing him like that. Danny looks around, checking for sneers or sideways glances. He’s surprised not to find any. There are a couple of sympathetic looks, but otherwise no one is paying any attention to Danny, which he’s happy about. He doesn’t want to be in the spotlight.

 

When the composite sketch is done Steve stares at it like he’s trying to kill Rick with his mind. He tells HPD to send a copy over to HQ so that Chin and Kono can get started on looking for him. A face and a first name isn’t a hell of a lot to go on, but it’s more than they had before. Steve asks Danny if he has any idea who Rick and Tony might have been working for, but Danny’s as in the dark as Steve is. Tony didn’t have any ID on him and so far they haven’t been able to come up with a fingerprint match. They’ve been keeping tabs on the hospitals in case Rick comes in with his eye injuring, but Danny had already told Steve that it’s a long shot seeing as they have a doctor on call. Danny can tell that Steve’s struggling to keep a lid on his frustrations.

 

They head home and Steve cooks them an early dinner, a simple steak and some oven baked fries. It’s one of Danny’s favourites not least because it’s easy on his stomach. Danny takes another antibiotic with his meal and decides to forgo the painkillers, his headache mostly gone now. Danny and Steve make up the guest bedrooms in preparation for Danny’s family arriving tomorrow. Danny’s parents are going to stay in Steve’s old room, while Danny’s sisters will share Grace’s room. They make up the beds with practised ease. Danny is excited to see his family again after such a long time, but it comes with a small amount of anxiety too. He loves his family dearly, but they’ve never hid their judgement when it comes to his IBS. He just wants his time with his family to be happy. Back in Jersey he used to see at least one of them every week and adjusting to life without them being so close was hard. Aside from the IBS thing, they’ve always been a close and supportive family.

 

Steve changes the bandaid on Danny’s head, checking the wound for infection as he does. He declares Danny fine and puts a new bandaid on complete with antibiotic ointment. They head to bed early, Steve still catching up on the sleep he missed while Danny was gone and Danny’s always exhausted anyway so an early night is welcome. They lie on their sides and Steve curls around Danny, pulling him flush against Steve’s chest and his arm wrapped around Danny’s torso. Danny settles happily against Steve, so glad to be back in their bed, to be back with Steve. Steve falls asleep quickly; Danny can feel his body go limp and heavy and his breathing becomes slow but audible. It’s not snoring, not yet. Steve always breaths like that when he’s in a deep, peaceful sleep and hearing it sends Danny to sleep quickly too, comforted by the sound.

 

+

 

Danny’s back in the cell. It’s pitch black and he can’t see a thing but he knows, just knows where he is. Despite the dark it’s hot like it’s the middle of the day and there’s sweat prickling his skin and his clothes feel too tight. The air is thick and humid and it’s difficult to breathe. He doesn’t want to inhale through his nose because the smell is so bad, raw sewage and rank sweat. It’s putrid and the stench feels like it had a physical presence. It’s the wetness in the air and the tight feeling around his chest.

 

Tony and Rick are there, suddenly. They’re laughing, hanging off each other as they do. Danny realises they’re taunting him, calling him a filthy pig and weak and disgusting. Danny curls his hand into a fist and tries to punch Tony, but he doesn’t notice, just keeps laughing. His skin felt cold and papery and when Danny looks closer he sees that Tony’s eyes are dead and there’s a gaping hole in his chest. Tony drops to the floor, limp and lifeless but still laughing out words; revolting, weak, useless, sickening.

 

Rick isn’t laughing anymore, he’s staring at Danny, his shoulders back and chest puffed out. His one eye is a bloodied mess, running gloopily down his face and into his mouth where Rick flicks his tongue to catch it. He smiles at Danny, his teeth stained red, and stalks towards him. Danny tries to back away but he’s stuck to the floor. Rick descends on him and Danny starts throwing wild punches, desperate to get him away, but his arms feel weak and his fists barely connect. Rick is all over him and the smell is sharper and stronger and Danny tries to cry out for someone to help him but he can’t breath and every time he opens his mouth nothing comes out. Tony is still laughing and Danny can’t even move his arms anymore and Rick is surrounding him like a greasy black spectre and Danny’s helpless to do anything.

 

When Danny wakes up it takes a second for his eyes to adjust and tell him he’s in his bedroom and not his cell. His heart is racing and he can’t move, there’s something weighing him down. It’s Steve, Danny realises with relief. They’ve changed positions during the night, Danny now on his back and Steve is half on top of Danny, arm and leg flung over him. Danny wiggles his fingers and toes just to prove to himself that he’s not paralyzed. Steve snuffles in his sleep and moves closer, burying his face against Danny’s neck.

 

Danny’s heartbeat is starting to slow and it leaves him feeling a little sick, unsettled. It’s like his skin doesn’t fit right or there’s something dangerous just out of view or his chair is just about to tip and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. He takes a deep breath and tries to calm himself down. It doesn’t take a shrink to tell Danny that his dream was about feeling powerless. The only problem is that while most nightmares can be combated with the knowledge that they aren’t real and that you’re safe, Danny’s not so sure that’s the case with him. He is powerless when it comes to his illness and it does make him vulnerable. His kidnapping is living proof of that. He knows he’s a good cop and he’s cautious and vigilant but that was all no use when he was too sick to defend himself. Danny’s always been self-reliant and he prides himself on that. It’s a hard pill to swallow that it might not always be the case. The knowledge disturbs Danny. Danny hugs Steve closer to him, needing the comfort.

 

“Danny?” Steve mumbles.

 

“Shh, it’s nothing, go back to sleep,” Danny says quietly.

 

“What’s wrong?” Steve asks, sounding more awake.

 

“Just a bad dream,” Danny answers, because he knows Steve won’t be able to settle until he knows.

 

“You want to talk about it,” Steve asks, propping himself up so that he can see Danny properly.

 

“Not really,” Danny says, but then adds, “It was just about being back in that room with Rick and Tony, but it was all weird and when I tried to fight them I lost all of my strength.”

 

“I’m sorry, baby,” Steve says, frowning in sympathy.

 

“It’s fine,” Danny says, feeling better now that he’s talked about the dream out loud.

 

“No it’s not,” Steve says. He stops Danny from arguing by pressing a kiss to his lips.

 

“Can you go back to sleep?” Steve asks, because often when Steve has a nightmare it keeps him awake for the rest of the night.

 

“Yeah,” Danny answers honestly, starting to feel tired again.

 

“Ok,” Steve says, lying back down in the position he woke up in, “Is this alright?”

 

“Definitely,” Danny says, hugging Steve again.

 

There’s enough light that Danny can make out the scars on Steve’s legs. He remembers how terrified he was on the way to the hospital and waiting to find out if Steve was going to be ok. He knows that it must have been ten times worse for Steve, not knowing how Danny was or what had happened. They’ve both been affected by the past few days. Danny maybe a little more than he originally thought. He hasn’t had time to process what happened. It’s true that other people have had it worse, that Steve has had it worse, but Danny was still held for two days and basically starved. It’s not fine but Danny’s grateful that it wasn’t worse. He thinks about what Kono said, about not focussing all on Steve, and he understands now what she meant. He was too out of it then to really get it. He’s just not sure how to make it about him. Danny doesn’t want pity, from himself or others. He doesn’t want it made into a big deal because that will just make him feel worse. It’s not that he’s afraid to talk about his feelings or acknowledge them. It’s that he just wants things to be normal. And he’s sick and tired of feeling vulnerable.

 

“You said you’d go back to sleep,” Steve says, making Danny jump.

 

“Shit,” Danny says in reaction to his fright.

 

“Sorry,” Steve says a little sheepishly.

 

“It’s ok,” Danny says, “I’ll sleep now, I promise. Goodnight.”

 

“Night babe,” Steve replies and snuggles back against Danny. Danny’s long ago gotten used to Steve’s octopus-like ways, but it’s times like these that he’s reminded how lucky he is to see this side of Steve. He’s sure most people would never consider that a tough guy like Steve would be such a cuddler. Which suits Danny perfectly, he’s happy to keep this side of Steve to himself.

 

Tiredness is truly starting to claim Danny now and Steve’s rhythmic breathing lulls him back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you may have noticed it now says there will be 16 chapters. That's the minimum amount I have planned out, but it might grow as I write more, depending on how long the chapters I have planned end up being.
> 
> I promise that the whole kidnapping thing will be resolved, for those of you who are wondering.
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading! The next chapter will be up early next week.


	12. Chapter 12

Danny wakes the next morning to stomach cramps that have him up and running to the bathroom before he’s even properly awake. It’s a terrible way to start your day and Danny curses the antibiotics he’s taking. He’s fairly sure this is all their fault. He has Ensure for breakfast again, unable to stomach anything more substantial. He uses it to wash down his regular meds for his stomach, his antibiotic which he grimaces at, and an anti-diarrheal. In a few hours he and Steve will be heading to the airport to pick up Danny’s family and an antibiotic induced flare-up is the last thing Danny needs.

 

Danny ends up making multiple trips to the bathroom before they leave. They’re so frequent that Danny begins to wonder whether he’ll even be able to make the trip to the airport, but then the anti-diarrheals seem to be kicking in and Danny’s just left with the terrible stomach cramps. Steve offers to pick up Danny’s family on his own, but Danny really wants to be there to greet them. They take separate cars because there’s no way they’ll all fit into one, especially with the luggage.

 

They get to the airport a little early and Danny waits both excited and a little nervous for the first glimpse of his family. This will be the first time they meet Steve and Danny desperately wants them to get along. Danny’s family are loud and a bit of a force of nature when they all get together, whereas Steve is much more reserved.

 

“There,” Danny says, spotting his dad first, who is by far the tallest. Danny starts making his way through the crowd, Steve following him. Danny’s dad is about Steve’s height and used to be dark haired but is now mostly grey. He’s got the same build as Danny, though going soft around the middle now. Danny sees his mom next, blonde like Danny and barely reaching 5’2”. Then there’s Rebecca, Danny’s youngest sister, an inch shorter than Danny (just), a little stocky and dark hair like their father’s, cut short. Finally Danny sees Joanna, his eldest sister, though she’s five years younger than him. She’s tall and slim and has long blonde hair.

 

When Danny’s family spots him his mom and sisters immediately start squealing. Danny can’t stop smiling and he pulls his mom into a hug first but quickly moves onto his sister before they start complaining.

 

“Danny,” his mom says when he’s finished hugging his sisters, “What happened to your face?”

 

“What happened to your hair?” Joanna asks, earning herself a shocked slap on the arm from Rebecca.

 

“It looks worse than it is,” Danny says, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously. He’s not used to the fuzzy feeling of short hair yet. He leans in to give his father a one armed hug. His dad slaps him on the back.

 

“Guys I want you to meet Steve,” Danny says, placing his hand on the small of Steve’s back and pushing him forward a little, “Steve, this is my mom and dad, and my sisters Joanna and Rebecca.

 

“Mr and Mrs Williams,” Steve says, shaking both of their hands respectively.

 

“Please, call me Lucy,” Danny’s mom smiles.

 

“Hank,” Danny’s dad says, “And before you say anything, I was named Hank Williams before the famous one was born.”

 

Steve laughs at that.

 

“Rebecca,” Steve says, holding out his hand.

 

“Oh please,” Rebecca says, pulling Steve into a hug, “You’re family.”

 

Joanna does the same, leaving Steve with a stunned look on his face that many of the Williams children’s boyfriends or girlfriends have had.

 

“Danny,” Lucy says, pointing at Danny’s face, “Explain.”

 

“Well,” Danny says, trying to find a way to tell the story which doesn’t end up upsetting his family too much, “I got into it with a couple of guys.”

 

“Danny,” Steve admonishes, ruining his chances of leaving the explanation there.

 

“Maybe Steve should tell the story,” Joanna prompts, clearly wanting to get to the bottom of things.

 

“Danny wasn’t feeling well and he got jumped by two, still unidentified men, who held him captive for two days,” Steve sums up.

 

“Danny, Jesus!” Rebecca yells, shocked.

 

Danny’s mom gasps and grabs Danny again, hugging him tightly.

 

“It’s ok, Ma,” Danny says, returning his mom’s hug, “I’m fine, really.”

 

“Is he telling the truth?” Joanna asks Steve.

 

“He wasn’t badly injured,” Steve answers, “Just a few bruises and bang on the head.”

 

“So not much to worry about there,” Rebecca jokes to defuse the tension.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Danny says dismissively, having heard similar jokes many times before.

 

“When did this happen?” Lucy asks, shooting a disapproving look at Rebecca for making light of the situation.

 

“Steve got me out two days ago,” Danny answers, smiling at Steve.

 

Before Steve can prepare himself Danny’s mom is hugging him tightly.

 

“Thank you for rescuing my boy,” Lucy says.

 

“Hey, uh, that’s ok. I mean, you’re welcome?” Steve pats her back awkwardly.

 

“Ok, Ma, let Steve breathe,” Danny says, taking pity on Steve, “It’s all ok now.”

 

Danny’s mom lets go and wipes her eyes a little.

 

“And your hair?” Joanna asks.

 

“I had to get stitches, so they shaved a bit off,” Danny says, touching the bandaid on his head, “Steve helped me with the rest.”

 

“He let you shave his hair?!” Rebecca asks Steve.

 

“Uh, yeah,” Steve answers.

 

“Wow,” Rebecca blinks, “It must be true love.”

 

“See, I told you, babe,” Danny says, poking Steve’s side.

 

“What you said was that by Jersey law we’re married now,” Steve jokes.

 

Danny’s family all laugh, Rebecca bumping her shoulder into Danny’s.

 

“Come on,” Steve says, “Let’s get your stuff in the cars and get back to the house. It’s a long flight and I’m sure you guys are tired.”

 

Steve ends up taking the trolley with Joanna and Rebecca’s suitcases and Danny offered to take his parents’ one, but his dad insists on doing it himself. They do a little light catching up; Joanna works as a dental hygienist and doesn’t have much to say about her job other than it’s going well. Rebecca works in advertising as a copywriter, and gleefully informs Danny that her firm has just landed the Tampax account. Danny laughs at his sister’s attempt to make him uncomfortable, sometimes because of the eight year gap between them, Rebecca forgets that Danny is a mature adult. But then he sees Steve looking a little uncomfortable and wonders which one is the more common reaction.

 

“Seriously?” Danny says to Steve.

 

“What?” Steve asks.

 

“Tampons,” Danny says. Steve tries to hide his uncomfortability but fails miserably in Danny’s eyes.

 

“Seriously,” Danny says again, “Tampons.”

 

“Ok, you know you’re doing that thing again where you just say the same words over and over again and expect me to understand what the hell you’re talking about, right?” Steve asks, earning him a laugh from Danny’s dad and smiles from the Williams women.

 

“I just can’t believe you were dating a woman before me,” Danny says.

 

“We weren’t dating,” Steve says. They’ve had this discussion plenty of times before, it’s a comfortable, fun argument for both of them.

 

“Oh right, yeah, I’m sorry, it was a thing,” Danny says, trying to hide his smile. It’s impossible to get to the end of the argument if one of them starts smiling.

 

“Yeah, it was,” Steve says in mock defensiveness.

 

“How many years did you say it was?” Danny asks, even though he knows the answer.

 

“A few,” Steve says and Danny can see a smile creeping into Steve’s lips. It’s an unwritten rule that whoever smiles properly first is the loser.

 

“Uh huh. A few. Six, give or take,” Danny says.

 

“If you knew the answer why did you ask?” Steve says.

 

“Because I am trying to demonstrate to my family what a buffoon you are!” Danny says, waving his hands at Steve. “You see what I have to put up with!” Danny says to his family.

 

“Baffoon?” Steve says, and there it is, Steve’s smiling fully now.

 

“You are a baffoon,” Danny says fondy, allowing himself to grin now. He hipchecks Steve, his way of ending the argument without declaring ‘I win!’ out loud.

 

Danny’s good mood is dampened slightly by his stomach cramps coming back with a vengeance.

 

“I’m just going to the restroom before we go,” Danny says, “I’ll meet you guys at the cars.”

 

Danny makes a beeline for restrooms and finds them blissfully empty. He’s very conscious about how long he takes both because public restrooms never stay empty for long and because his family are waiting for him. After Danny’s done the cramps still don’t let up and Danny’s stuck trying to breathe through them as he walks to the cars. When he gets there he doesn’t miss the looks his sisters exchange or the way his father is frowning.

 

“Long queue?” his mom asks, bless her innocent soul. Or more likely, trying to give Danny an out.

 

“Yeah,” Danny says noncommittally

 

Rebecca and Joanna declare they’re riding with Steve in the truck which leaves Danny’s parents with him.  

 

“Nice car,” Danny’s dad says, tapping the roof of the Camaro while Danny puts the suitcases in the trunk.

 

“See you guys at home,” Danny says to his sisters and Steve.

 

Danny catches up with his parents on the drive home, hears about how his dad’s work is going and that he’ll have to retire soon. His mom catches him up on all the gossip from the old neighbourhood. Danny keeps most of his focus on driving and lets his mom and dad’s chatter wash over him. His stomach is still extremely sore and he’s concerned about his ability to get them home without having to stop somewhere and use the restroom. This is not at all what he wanted while his family were here, let alone as soon as they arrived.

 

“What happened to your wrists?” Danny’s dad asks.

 

“Oh,” Danny says, “Handcuffs.”

 

“Danny honey, I hate that you have such a dangerous job,” Danny’s mom says, concerned.

 

“I know Ma, but-” Danny’s cut off.

 

“I know, I know. Your job means a lot to you. I’ve been married to a firefighter for 39 years, I’m used to it,” Danny’s mom holds up her hands, “I just worry.”

 

“I understand Ma,” Danny nods, “But I’ve got a great team out here, and Steve is overprotective enough to satisfy even your standards.”

 

“Well,” Danny’s mom smiles, “I’ll be the judge of that.”

 

When they get home Steve’s already in the drive and unpacking the car.

 

“Rebecca and Joanna have already gone inside,” Steve informs them.

 

“Why don’t you guys catch up with them, I’ll get your suitcases out,” Danny says to his parents.

 

“Son, I can still carry my own suitcase,” Hank says, taking both his and Lucy’s with him into the house. Danny shrugs and follows, showing his dad to the bedroom across the way from his and Steve’s.

 

“I’ll be with you soon,” Danny says, slipping into his bedroom to use the bathroom. So much for the antidiarrheals working. When Danny comes downstairs he finds his family and Steve out on the lanai. Steve and Danny’s dad are talking about cars and his mom and sisters are chatting about what they want to do while they’re in Hawaii.

 

“I can’t believe you basically live on the beach,” Rebecca says when she sees Danny.

 

“Yeah, well, it’s hard to get away from the beach on an island,” Danny says with a shrug.

 

“Uh huh,” Rebecca raises an eyebrow, “Admit it, you love it!”

 

“Yeah,” Danny says, glancing at Steve, “Maybe a little.”

 

Danny sits down on a deck chair next to Joanna, his mom and Rebecca on the other side. It feels a little surreal having his whole family with him again. The last time it happened he was just after he and Rachel had gotten divorced, before she moved and he followed. He doesn’t regret it and he’s gotten used to his life with fewer people in it, made his own family of friends here in Hawaii, but he still misses his family.

 

“I still can’t believe you all managed to get vacation time at the same time,” Danny says.

 

“Yeah, well it took a lot of planning,” Joanna smiles, “But, you know, Hawaii!”

 

“And what am I, chopped liver?” Danny fains hurt.

 

“No, of course not,” Rebecca grins, “You’re like… a consolation prize.”

 

“Oh, thank you very much!” Danny says, “A consolation prize to my own flesh and blood, huh?”

 

“Oh Danny,” Lucy says, “You know we’re here to see you.”

 

“I know, Ma,” Danny says, “We’re just playing.”

 

“Speak for yourself,” Rebecca winks.

 

The rest of the morning is much the same, filling each other in on their lives and playful jokes. His family are warm and accepting with Steve and Steve is his usual charming self and doesn’t seem too out of his depth. Danny only has to make one more trip to the toilet but his stomach ache seems intent on staying around regardless. As much as Danny enjoys catching up with his family, he finds himself utterly exhausted by the time early afternoon rolls around. Grace is spending the weekend with them and when it comes time to leave to fetch her, Danny has serious doubts about his ability to drive. Before Danny can broach the subject with Steve, Steve waves at him to sit down again.

 

“I’ll go fetch Gracie, Danny,” Steve says, giving Danny a meaningful look, “You stay and talk more with your family.”

 

“Thanks, babe” Danny says, nodding at Steve.

 

“Oh, Steve,” Lucy says, “Let me come with you, I’d love to surprise Grace.”

 

“That’s a great idea, Lucy,” Steve says, “She’ll love that.”

 

“Hey, D, where are your keys?” Steve asks.

 

“Oh here,” Danny says, pulling them out of his pocket and handing them to Steve.

 

As soon as Steve and Danny’s mom leave, Rebecca turns to Danny and says, “Soooo…”

 

“So what?” Danny asks, confused.

 

“You and Steve,” Rebecca prompts.

 

“Yeah, that’s not news,” Danny says.

 

“I know, but you let him drive your car. And shave your hair. That’s big, Danny. And besides it’s different when we’re face to face,” Rebecca says, “Right Joanna?”

 

Joanna nods, “Come on Danny, tell us about him.”

 

“Are we really going to talk about boys,” Danny’s dad asks dryly.

 

“Boys? Seriously dad?” Rebecca says, “Steve is the same age as Danny, that’s like, almost forty!”

 

“Hey, I’m not almost forty!” Danny complains, “I’m thirty six!”

 

“Closer to forty than any of us,” Joanna says.

 

“Besides,” Rebecca says to her dad, “Don’t you want to know that your son is happy?”

 

“I can see he’s happy,” Hank says gruffly.

 

“Thanks, Pops,” Danny says, touched by his father’s words. His dad isn’t one for flowery language and Danny’s heard him say plenty of times ‘why use twenty words when one will do?’ so it means a lot to hear him say that.

 

“Look,” Danny says to his sisters, “You know all the stories, there’s nothing else to tell.”

 

“Well maybe we want to hear some of them again,” Joanna says.

 

So Danny tells them about the time Steve was speeding along what was definitely not a road and ended up tackling the suspect and almost going over the edge of a cliff. His dad shakes his head and laughs through the story, while Joanna reacts more like Danny did, worried about safety. Rebecca claps her hands gleefully at all the exciting parts.

 

A little while later Grace comes running out of the house.

 

“Auntie Becca! Auntie Jo! Grandpa!” she screams, barrelling into Danny’s dad first. He lifts her up and gives her a big hug, before releasing her to her aunts.

 

Steve and Danny’s mom follow Grace out smiling. Steve holding a bag of Kamekona’s shrimp.

  
“I brought lunch,” Steve says, earning cheers from Danny’s sisters.


	13. Chapter 13

Grace spends the afternoon down on the beach with Rebecca and Joanna. Danny not so subtly threatens them to not take an eye off Grace or else, much to Grace’s embarrassment and his sisters amusement. Danny knows they’d never be careless with Grace’s safety, but it never hurts to remind people. Danny’s parents opt for an afternoon nap, tired from the journey and the time difference. Danny watches Grace and his sisters on the beach for a while, but soon heads inside.

 

“Hey babe,” Steve says as Danny comes in, “How are you doing?”

 

“Ok,” Danny says, hugging Steve and putting his head on Steve’s chest, “Just tired.”

 

Steve hugs Danny and strokes his back soothingly, “You want to lie down for a while?”

 

“Mmm, maybe,” Danny says, leaning further into Steve.

 

“Come on, I know you’re hurting. Let’s just rest a while before we go out for dinner tonight,” Steve says, disentangling Danny and leading him upstairs.

 

“Yeah, ok,” Danny acquiesces.

 

Upstairs Danny gets into bed and Steve climbs in behind him. It’s a bit too hot to be spooning but Danny will put up with it if it means having Steve close. Steve rests his hand gently on Danny’s stomach. The warmth of his hand helps soothe the ache a little.

 

“Thanks,” Danny says, snuggling back into Steve, “So how was the car trip with my mom?”

 

“It was fine,” Steve answers lightly.

 

“Uh huh, and really?” Danny asks.

 

“Hey, despite the lies you sprout, I do know how to interact with people,” Steve says defensively.

 

“I know that, babe, I just expected my mom to interrogate you the minute she got you alone,” Danny says, reaching back to stroke Steve’s thigh, placating him.

 

“Ok, so maybe that did happen,” Steve says a little bashfully.

 

“Yeah? And did you pass or is the rest of their visit going to be awkward,” Danny says, only partly joking.

 

“She wanted to know that I’m looking after you properly. I told her I’d give my life for yours. She seemed satisfied with that,” Steve says nonchalantly, and Danny can feels his shrug.

 

“Steve,” Danny says, turning around so he can look at Steve, “Don’t say that.”

 

“Why?” Steve frowns, “It’s true.”

 

“No,” Danny says, because the thought of Steve dying at all is disturbing, but the idea of him dying because of Danny is unthinkable, “Don’t act like your life means nothing, ok? It doesn’t.”

 

“You know that’s not what I’m saying,” Steve says and Danny wants to shake him because he doesn’t get it and Danny’s not sure how to phrase what he means.

 

“Look,” Danny pokes Steve in the chest, “Dying is easy. It means you don’t have to live with the consequences. Living is tough. Life fucking sucks most of the time and the best you can hope for is that maybe you do a little good, and you do right by the people you love. But it’s hard. So you want to do something romantic for me, huh? You want to make a big declaration? Then say you’ll live for me. Living for someone means more. That’s commitment, a fucking lifetime of hard work and sticking around through shitty situations, not checking out the minute things get sticky. Ok?”

 

Danny’s heart is hammering in his chest and he thinks maybe he’s overreacting but he knows Steve, and he knows that when he says he’d die for Danny that he really means it and Danny couldn’t live with himself if that happened. Danny made the decision, back in that warehouse, in his cell, that he was going to fight to get out, because he wasn’t going to give up on Grace or Steve. It’s all still too close for Danny to hear Steve speak so casually about dying.

 

“Danny, baby,” Steve says, gathering Danny to his chest, “I promise, ok? I’m not leaving you anytime soon, and not without a fight. I promise. It’s ok.”

 

It’s then that Danny realises he’s shaking and his breath is all shuddery. He tries to get a hold of himself, burrows into Steve and tells himself to calm down. He breathes deeply and gets a nose full of Steve’s scent. It makes him feel safe and it breaks the panic that was rising up in him. The shaking is reduced to the occasional tremor and his breathing is evening out.

 

“I’m sorry,” Steve says, and Danny shakes his head. It’s not Steve who should be sorry, he’s not the one randomly freaking out. He wants to say that, but his voice feels stuck in his throat so he just clings to Steve tighter.

 

“Hey, I think your mom might talk more than you, which is saying something because I’m pretty sure you’ve broken the world record or something,” Steve says, trying for levity. It makes Danny smile.

 

“Your gift for hyperbole is outstanding,” Danny says into Steve’s chest, finding his voice.

 

“Hyperbole?” Steve says incredulously.

 

“Yeah, exaggeration,” Danny clarifies, leaning back to talk better.

 

“I know what hyperbole is!” Steve says, “I’m just not sure it applies here. You Williamses sure do talk a lot.”

 

“Yeah, well you’ve cornered the market for strong silent type,” Danny tries not to smile.

 

“Sure, keep telling yourself that,” Steve replies, “But you’re just a chatterbox, plain and simple.”

 

Danny doesn’t say anything to that in an attempt to prove Steve wrong, even though they both know he’s right. Danny feels more on an even keel now which is relieving. He’s not used to feeling like this. On the first day they’d met Steve had called him sensitive, which may very well be true, but this is something different. He feels jittery and unsteady. Exhaustion washes over Danny and pulls at him like a riptide.

 

“Going to sleep a little bit,” Danny informs Steve, turning over so that they are once again spooning, “You staying?”

 

“Yeah,” Steve says, “Always.”

 

Danny falls asleep before he can call Steve a sap.

 

+

 

They head out for an early dinner at a restaurant they go to often. The food there is simple and delicious and best of all there are a lot of dishes that Danny can actually eat. The evening is lively, as all Williams’ mealtimes are when they’re all together. Danny’s sisters share slightly embarrassing stories about Danny, much to both Steve and Grace’s delight. Steve favourite clearly being the one about Danny dressing up in his sister’s clothes just to amuse them. He’d alway been short for his age and could fit into some of Joanna’s clothes. Joanna breaks the news to her family that her husband, Tom, has just gotten a promotion and that they’re planning on having kids soon. Danny’s mom is on the verge of tears she’s so happy and his dad is beaming.

 

“What line of work is your husband in?” Steve asks. Danny had told Steve a lot about his family, but he doesn’t know Tom all that well and didn’t have much to say to Steve about him.

 

“He works for a shipping company,” Joanna answers, “He’s been travelling a lot, but with this promotion he’ll be staying in the main offices a lot more, which means coming home every night, it will be a nice change.”

 

“Step-Stan travels a lot too,” Grace says and thankfully doesn’t seem to notice the awkward silence from Danny’s family at the mention of Rachel’s new husband. Well, not so new anymore, but his family haven’t had to deal with it on a day to day basis.

 

“Rebecca, you got anyone special in your life,” Steve says, covering the awkwardness beautifully.

 

“Nah,” Rebecca smiles, “I’m really happy to be single. I don’t want to be tied down to anyone.”

 

Steve nods in understanding. Danny knows that before he and Steve got together Steve felt much the same way.

 

When their meals arrive Danny finds himself feeling a little nauseous. He tries to eat but his appetite is all but gone. His stomach ache is still there and steadily getting worse. It’s quickly clear to him that he needs to get to the restroom and he feels unsteady as he gets up, the room spinning a little. It takes Danny a while in the restroom and even when he’s finished the cramps don’t stop. Usually he gets a little relief after he’s been to the toilet, even if just for a few minutes. When he gets back to the table his dad frowns in disapproval and shakes his head at him before returning to his meal. Joanna looks disappointed. Danny has to take a very deep breath to control his anger. It stops him from immediately lashing out at them, but it doesn’t do much to help how Danny’s feeling. He doesn’t want to get into a fight the first night his family are here. Hell, he doesn’t want to have a fight with them period and the IBS fight is one they’ve had countless times. Danny’s not an idiot, he knows when to quit and he knows a pointless situation when he sees one, but it’s times like these where not defending himself rankles.

 

A few minutes later Danny is up again and quickly walking to the restrooms. A couple of guys come in to pee while he’s there and even though they don’t know who he is and they both leave before he comes out, he’s still incredibly embarrassed. Flare-ups are always terrible, but dealing with one in public is far worse for Danny than in the privacy of his own home. When Danny gets back to the table his father and Joanna look further displeased. Rebecca looks a little confused, a little irritated. His mother asks, “Do you think it was the shrimp?” and while Danny knows that in her own way she’s trying to be supportive, drawing attention to the fact just makes him feel worse. Not that everyone at the table hasn’t noticed Danny’s long absences, the looks on all his family’s faces say everything he needs to know. Grace is biting her lip and looking unhappy and Danny wishes that she wasn’t on the other side of the table between his sisters so that Danny could kiss her hair and reassure her.

 

Steve leans over and says quietly, “Do you need to go home, D?”

 

“No,” Danny shakes his head, “I don’t want to ruin anything.”

 

Steve frowns at that but leaves it and Danny’s glad he doesn’t push. Danny doesn’t want there to be anymore reason for his family to have a problem with him. Right now they are still unlikely to confront him about it and he wants to keep it that way. He’s not used to this anymore. He’s been spoiled by Steve, Chin and Kono. They’re always happy to accommodate Danny, they don’t try to cure him or tell him he’s being ridiculous and to man up and they don’t try to stage interventions. It’s not that Danny’s forgotten what it’s like to be surrounded by people who think there’s something wrong with you (mentally), but he hasn’t had to think about it much for the last few years. He’s feeling too shitty for confrontation right now.

 

The third time Danny gets up he feels decidedly woozy and the nausea is reaching worrying proportions. He has to swallow a few times on his way to the restrooms but once he’s there the nausea is superseded by the pain in his gut. Danny really does just want to go home now, away from prying eyes and closer to the toilet. He wants to take his painkillers and hopefully get some sleep. He doesn’t care anymore that his family are judging him so long as he can get more comfortable. When Danny gets back to the table the plates have all been cleared and Steve quietly tells him that the bill is on the way. Danny couldn’t be more grateful.

 

On the way out of the restaurant they almost literally run into Joe. As they are coming out the door, Joe’s coming in, and the timing couldn’t be more awful. Joe looks surprised at first and Danny tries to sidestep him and carry on walking but Joe catches his arm. Danny’s first instinct is to go for his gun, which of course isn’t there. It sparks a memory; walking in his office to find Tony and Rick, Rick picking up the ceramic dolphin...

 

“Detective Williams,” Joe says, ever-present sneer in his voice, “You look the worse for wear.”

 

Danny jerks back a little, thrown by the memory. Joe’s hand is hot on his arm, holding tight enough that Danny’s worried it will bruise. Steve steps up beside Danny, his stance already aggressive. Danny knows there’s no way of escaping some sort of altercation now.

 

“Hey, would you guys mind taking Grace to the car,” Danny says to his family in general, holding out his keys, “We’ll catch you up soon.” He’s glad that his voice is steady because he feels anything but.

 

Danny’s mother and father exchange a look before Danny’s mom takes the keys and ushers Grace and Danny’s sisters away, his dad staying behind. They’d come in two cars again and parked around the corner. Danny’s glad they couldn’t get parking closer now, it means that Grace doesn’t have to be exposed to Joe’s bullshit.

 

“Get your hand off of him,” Steve growls, grabbing Joe’s wrist. Joe lets go instantly and Danny sees him try to suppress a wince.

 

“Touchy,” Joe says casually, like he’s completely unaware of the tension he’s causing.

 

“So, what happened?” Joe nods towards Danny, but keeps eye contact with Steve, “Your boytoy finally get the beating he deserves? Someone finally had enough of his smart mouth and faggot ways?”

 

“Excuse me?” Hank says, outraged, but Steve is already flying at Joe and pinning him to the wall, his forearm to Joe’s throat.

 

“Not another word,” Steve snarls.

 

Danny knows he should move, try and get Steve off of Joe, there are people watching and right now Steve looks like the aggressor, but Danny’s frozen on the spot. He keeps telling himself to move or say something but he can’t. It’s never happened to him before and it’s scaring him. He knows that if shit goes down, he won’t be able to help Steve, he’s too sick and light-headed. Danny blinks, tries to focus on what’s going on. Joe seems frightened but he’s trying to hide it. Steve looks ready to kill and his dad is furious and looks like he’s trying to decide whether to pull Steve off or help him.

 

“That’s what happened, right? Someone caught wind of the unnatural thing between you two and did what I should have done a long time ago,” Joe snaps.

 

“Did you organise this?” Steve yells but hauls off and punches Joe in the stomach before he can answer. Joe doubles over, gasping, but Steve pulls him upright again, “Is this your fault?”

 

Before he can hit Joe again Danny’s dad is pulling Steve back and finally Danny can move. Steve needs him. He’s out of control and he’s going to do something stupid that he can’t come back from if Danny doesn’t intervene. He grabs Steve’s arm.

 

“Steve, babe, look at me,” Danny says urgently, “Just leave him, ok? He’s not worth a night in jail for.”

 

Steve turns to Danny and he can see the anguish in Steve’s eyes even if his face is still a mask of fury.

 

“I’m ok,” Danny says soothingly, “Let’s just go. He’s not worth it.”

 

Danny can see that he’s getting through to Steve, the infinitesimal way his shoulders drop and the line of his mouth softens. Danny breaths a quiet sigh of relief.

 

“You’re fucking crazy,” Joe yells.

 

Danny steadies a look at Joe and speaks with a confidence he doesn’t feel like he has right now, “Leave us alone. You see us and you walk the other way, understand?”

 

Joe opens his mouth to speak but Danny cuts him off, “Understand?”

 

Joe nods and Danny hopes the message has gone through this time. Danny curls his hand around Steve’s wrist and leads him away, his dad casting a look at Joe before following.

 

“What the hell was that about?” Danny’s dad asks.

 

“That was Steve’s former CO. He has a problem with our relationship,” Danny says succinctly. He doesn’t feel like going into the details and he’s not sure Steve would want them to be shared anyway.

 

His dad nods and doesn’t say anything else. The walk to the car is short and four worried Williams faces greet them.

 

“Are you alright?” Rebecca asks quickly.

 

“We’re fine,” Danny tries to assure them, “Just a person Steve knows who he isn’t on good terms with anymore.”

 

Danny won’t say more with Grace around, he doesn’t want to scare her. Grace silently walks up to Danny and hugs him.

 

“You ready to go home?” Danny asks, returning the hug and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Grace nods and steps back.

 

They came in two separate cars again because of space, Danny and Steve driving their respective cars, but Danny doesn’t feel up to the drive home. His head is spinning and the stomach cramps are far too distracting.

 

“Hey pops, you wanna do the honours,” Danny says gesturing to his car.

 

His dad takes the hint and gets the keys from Danny’s mom.

 

“Right, who’s going with who?” Hank asks.

 

Grace wraps her hand in Danny’s shirt and that all Danny needs to know that his little girl wants to be with him. She’s always done it and Danny dreads the day she grows out of it, or stops herself from doing it because she feels she’s too old.

 

“Grace and I will go with Steve,” Danny says, and Steve nods his head.

 

“Cool, we get to ride in the Camaro,” Rebecca says, giving Joanna a significant look. Danny is sure his sisters and mom are waiting for the chance to find out what actually happened. It works well this way, Grace will be protected by what Danny’s dad says and it will give Steve and Danny some time to decompress.

 

They climb into the truck and Danny puts his hand on Steve’s thigh. It’s the best he can do while Grace is around but by the soft look in Steve’s eyes it’s enough for now. Grace is unusually quiet and Danny’s not sure whether to ask her what’s wrong or let her come to him in her own time. Danny’s head is swimming and the drive back home is a blur. They’re five minutes from home when Grace finally speaks.

 

“Danno, do your family know that you’re sick?” Grace asks quietly.

 

It takes Danny a second to answer, needing to get his bearings back, “Yes,” he finally says.

 

“Then how come they reacted like they did? Grandpa looked angry,” Grace sounds so confused.

 

“Because,” Danny pauses, trying to think of an explanation, it’s a question he’s asked himself many times, “Sometimes people don’t know how to express that they’re worried about someone and they don’t know how to help, so they get frustrated.”

 

“So... Grandpa was angry because he loves you?” Grace says slowly.

 

“Yes,” Danny says, and he believes what he’s saying even if the way his family have dealt with his illness has hurt him. His dad’s reaction may have been the most obvious to Grace, but Danny knows they all have an opinion. “The way grandpa was brought up, they taught men that emotions were a weakness. Of course, we know that’s silly, but it’s hard to unlearn something like that.”

 

“Ok,” Grace says, accepting what Danny said even if she doesn’t completely understand it.

 

When they get home Grace is in a better mood and Steve seems slightly more relaxed which is an improvement. Danny’s family don’t say anything about earlier, getting that Danny’s trying to shield Grace from it.

 

“Monkey,” Danny says, “Since Auntie Rebecca and Auntie Joanna are staying in your room, you’re going to sleep in our room this weekend.”

 

Grace shrugs her acceptance, “Alright.”

 

“There’s enough space in Grace’s room for three,” Rebecca says, “It will be like having a sleepover.”

 

“Oh, Auntie Becca, really?”Grace asks excitedly.

 

“Yeah!” Rebecca says, “That’s ok, right Danny?”

 

“Sure,” Danny says, “If you guys don’t mind.”

 

“Not at all,” Joanna answers.

 

With that settled Grace drags her aunts off to her room beaming.

 

“Just don’t stay up too late,” Danny calls after them, though he’s pretty sure they won’t follow his request.

 

Steve starts locking up and Danny leaves him to it, heading upstairs with his parents. Danny can’t wait to crawl into bed.

 

“Are you alright?” Danny’s mom asks him when they get to the top of the stairs.

 

“I’m fine, Ma,” Danny answers even though it’s not entirely true. He doesn’t want to get into anything now.

 

Steve comes up the stairs, stopping beside Danny.

 

“Steve,” Lucy says, fixing Steve with a hard look, “I don’t condone violence. In fact, I abhor it.”

 

Steve winces but otherwise remains perfectly still, tension radiating off him.

 

“But,” Lucy continues, “I’m glad my son has you looking out him.”

 

She pulls Steve into a hug and the look on his face is priceless; shock and relief and a little bit of pride.

 

They say their goodnights and Danny and Steve go into their bedroom. As soon as the door is closed Steve is wrapping his arms around Danny and resting his cheek on the top of Danny’s head. Danny remains quiet for a while, hugging Steve back.

 

When they part Danny asks, “Do you really think Joe was involved?”

 

“I don’t know,” Steve shakes his head, “I didn’t think Joe was as bigoted as he is, so clearly I don’t know him as well as I thought I did.”

 

“Yeah, but kidnapping? That’s a little extreme. I mean, the guy’s an asshole, no two ways about it, but I’m not sure he’d do something like that,” Danny says, undressing and getting ready for bed, “Besides, I heard Tony and Rick talking about how they weren’t supposed to take me yet, if Joe was their boss, why didn’t he show up? Whatever the plan was, I don’t see why they or Joe would have waited.”

 

“You’re probably right,” Steve says, following Danny’s lead and stripping down to his underwear, “I just lost it a bit back there.”

 

“I understand,” Danny says. He’d probably react the same if their roles were reversed.

 

“I’m going to have Chin and Kono see if they can connect anything to Joe, just in case,” Steve says.

 

Danny nods and climbs into bed. He’s so fucking tired.

 

“Uh babe, you need to take your antibiotics,” Steve reminds him.

 

“Right, fuck,” Danny says getting out of bed again and heading to the bathroom where his pills are.

 

“These things are kicking my ass,” Danny says, before swallowing them with a drink of water.

 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Steve says, coming up behind Danny and kissing the side of his head, “Hm, you feel a little warm.”

 

Danny, thinking nothing of it, says, “Come on, sleep now.”


	14. Chapter 14

Danny is up periodically throughout the night to go to the toilet. He’s more and more groggy each time and his skin is oddly clammy. Danny wakes in the morning from a dream-memory of waiting for Steve to come rescue him, of shitting his pants. He’s sweating and shaking and the remembered feeling is so real it takes him a few seconds to realise he hasn’t actually messed the bed. His relief is short lived because the growing pain in his stomach has him bolting to the bathroom. His head is spinning and the nausea is still there.

 

When he gets up to flush a flash of red in the toilet bowl catches his eye. Fuck, that’s blood. Danny’s heart feels like it stops. That’s not good. Panic overwhelms Danny. He has no idea what to do. Just stands there. It feels like his heart starts back up double time, hammering against his ribcage in a way that’s almost painful. There’s a rushing sound in his ears.

 

“Danny?” Steve calls, knocking on the bathroom door, and fuck, Danny’s been standing there for ages. He flushes the toilet and opens the door.

 

“What’s wrong?”Steve asks immediately and Danny can only guess that he must look terrible because Steve looks very worried. Steve reaches out and cups Danny’s face, “Fuck, babe, you’re burning up.”

 

“There was blood,” is all Danny can say, and he knows he needs to get it together but his thoughts keep jumping and sloshing around in his mind.

 

“Are you hurt?” Steve asks, immediately checking Danny over for wounds, his hands running over Danny’s body.

 

“No, not, I went to the toilet,” Danny says quietly, “There was blood.”

 

“In your urine?” asks Steve, trying to stay calm and only partly managing it.

 

“No,” Danny says, but he can’t bring himself to explain further, not with the panic that keeps threatening to overwhelm him.

 

“Ok,” Steve runs a hand over his face, “Ok, get dressed, we’re going to the hospital.”

 

Danny does as Steve says, because he’s right. He tugs on a t-shirt and a pair of pants and when he’s finished Steve is already dressed and waiting for him.

 

“Head down to the car, I’m just going to let your parents know what’s going on,” Steve instructs.

 

Danny nods and heads downstairs. With Steve in control he feels more calm. Steve joins him quickly and the drive to the hospital goes swiftly, Steve driving fast even for him. Danny doesn’t pay much attention. He doesn’t know what to think, trying to keep his brain away from imagining internal wounds, haemorrhaging, bleeding out. He needs to get a grip on himself. There was blood but not huge amount. That’s comforting. Sort of.

 

They don’t wait long in the emergency room and as luck would have it Doctor Kahala is on duty and sees him. She takes him into a bay and Steve has to wait outside. She asks a whole lot of questions which Danny answers mechanically. She doesn’t look extremely concerned which goes a long way to calming Danny down but he still can’t get a firm grasp on his emotions. Maybe she just doesn’t have a very expressive face because she tells him his fever is very high like it’s a warning. She takes his pulse and makes him lie back on the examination table and palpitates his stomach, when she presses low on his stomach, almost above his hipbones it hurts and he tenses.

 

“Sore?” she asks.

 

“A little,” Danny says, because when it comes to stomach pain it didn’t rank very highly in terms of what he’s experienced, but he’s never sure how sore is sore, and what counts as worrying.

 

“Have you had much contact with fecal matter lately?” Doctor Kahala asks blandly.

 

“What?” Danny asks. It’s possibly the most bizarre question a doctor has ever asked him.

 

“Your symptoms are congruent with an E.Coli infection, which means contact with fecal matter, contaminated water, maybe? I don’t know much about the conditions in which you were kept,” and now she looks uncomfortable, “Symptoms usually show up 3 to 4 days after contact with the bacteria, though sometimes earlier. The timeline fits.”

 

Danny flashes back to that bucket and the doctors warning to clean it out in case it made Danny sick. The musty smell of the water that Rick threw on him and his suspicions that it was the same bucket.

 

“Yeah,” Danny says, trying to fight down nausea, “I think you’re right. There was a bucket.”

 

He can’t say more, his thoughts are too jumbled and he feels too sick. Luckily Doctor Kahala is nodding and doesn’t seem to need more explanation.

 

“I’ll need to do a test to confirm it, but it seems the most likely scenario,” she says, “I’ll need to collect a stool sample.”

 

+

 

Danny tries to put the examination out of his mind and finds Steve pacing an otherwise empty waiting room and wonders how many more times one of them will be in this position.

 

“Hey,” Danny says and Steve’s eyes snap up from where they were fixed on the floor. Steve rushes over to Danny and holds onto Danny’s bicep like it’s an anchor.

 

“What did she say?” Steve rushes to ask.

 

“Can we sit?” Danny nods towards the chairs along the wall. He’s so tired and he doesn’t want to stand anymore than he has too. When they’re seated Steve looks at Danny expectantly.

 

“She thinks I have an E.Coli infection,” Danny answers, “She’s doing a test now to confirm it. She said she’s rush it for me and let me know in a few minutes.”

 

“E.coli? What? How?” Steve frowns, “I mean, it happens all the time in developing countries, but here?”

 

Danny opens his mouth to say ‘I don’t know’ but something must show on his face because Steve’s suddenly got his interrogation face on.

 

“Danny, tell me,” Steve commands.

 

Danny can’t keep it from Steve any longer, he knows something is up and he’ll badger Danny until he knows.

 

“When I was taken,” Danny begins and then struggles to find a way to explain. He feels ridiculous, but he’s still so embarrassed. He’s had a history of people he was supposed to be able to rely on letting him down. His family have only been in Hawaii for twenty-four hours and they’ve already shown how little they support him when it comes to his illness. Rachel couldn’t stand to hear about anything bowel related and he’d never have been able to tell her this if they were still together. He knows that Steve is different, he’s proven that time and time again. But Danny is so used to things being the other way that it’s still hard to open up to Steve sometimes. There are days when Danny feels like he’s waiting for Steve to come to his senses and tell Danny that he can’t cope with having such a sick partner, professionally or otherwise.

 

“Babe, whatever it is, you can tell me. I know what it’s like, to be tortured,” Steve swallows audibly, “Whatever it is, I’ll understand and I’ll be there for you.”

 

“Steve, I’m pretty sure what I went through doesn’t even compare to your experiences, it wasn’t torture,” Danny says, and fuck he wants to cry because Steve is so earnest and caring.

 

“Danny you were starved and beaten and kept captive for two days, I don’t care who had it worse, that’s bad enough and you can’t just brush it off,” Steve says vehemently.

 

Danny gets what Steve is saying, that one person’s experiences don’t negate someone elses but he still feels so guilty and humiliated. Hearing Steve say that, though, it helps.

 

“You know I was having a flare-up the day they took me?” Danny says, needing to get his story out now.

 

Steve nods.

 

“Well it didn’t just stop once I woke up in that room, and there was a bucket,” Danny continues and from the understanding look on Steve’s face he doesn’t have to explain in more detail, “When that doctor came he told them to clean it out in case it made me more sick. Rick took the bucket away, but when he came back it was full of water and he threw it on me. It smelled funny, I don’t think he cleaned it out properly.”

 

Steve reaches out and holds Danny’s hand.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Steve says, “There’s more though, isn’t there?”

 

Danny nods. It may not be how he got infected but Danny feels like he needs to get it all out.

 

“When I was handcuffed, just before you found me, I uh, I needed to go but I couldn’t undo my pants,” Danny doesn’t want to say the words.

 

“You messed your pants?” Steve asks quietly and with no small amount of sympathy.

 

“Yeah,” Danny breathes, his cheeks flaming. He’s not sure how he feels now that it’s out there. There is a sense of being unburdened; Danny doesn’t like keeping secrets. Then there’s the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable that Danny hates. Danny’s not sure which one is winning at the moment.

 

“Hey,” Steve squeezes Danny’s hand, “Have you forgotten that story I told you when you first told me you have IBS? Danny, I know what it’s like, and I know it’s embarrassing and unpleasant, but you don’t have to be ashamed.”

 

“Why not?” Danny says, standing. He needs the distance suddenly, “It’s not about- I should have been stronger. It would never have happened if I hadn’t been too weak to defend myself.”

 

“Danny, you are strong,” Steve stands too.

 

Danny scoffs, “I’m not though. Because of this stupid fucking illness I can’t be. A flare-up hits and that’s me done.”

 

“Babe,” Steve reaches out for Danny and he goes willingly, he feels unsteady on his feet and lets Steve hold him close, “The things you do, even when you feel like crap, it amazes me. I’ve seen you work through extreme pain and come out with a joke and then take down a suspect like it’s no big deal. I’ve never met someone who works as hard as you do, and you get things done, you save lives, you get justice. And you care, so goddamn much. So don’t ever say you’re not strong. You’re stronger than most people and you have an uphill battle the whole way. You’re amazing.”

 

He buries his face in Steve chest and holds on tightly.  He’s not sure how to feel. Steve’s words mean so much to him, and he feels validated in a way he’s never felt before. But he can’t shake the guilt, the embarrassment. He can’t help but think how much more he could do if he wasn’t sick. How many more people could he save, how many more criminals put away? He keeps waiting to stop feeling hard done by, to stop feeling furious, to come to terms with his illness. But it never happens.

 

“I’m such a mess,” Danny mumbles angrily.

 

“You’ve been through a traumatic experience, you’re sick and from the heat you’re giving off I’d say you have one hell of a fever. Babe, I think you’re earned the right to be a little emotional,” Steve consoles him.

 

“Yeah, maybe,” Danny concedes. It’s hard for Danny sometimes to see what he’s achieved when all he feels is crap. Before Steve no one ever saw the way he struggled or suffered.

 

“Thank you,” Danny says, before leaning up and giving Steve a chaste kiss.

 

“Detective Williams?” Doctor Kahala says, standing in the doorway, “I have your results if you want to come to my office?”

 

Danny follows her with Steve in tow, not wanting to be separated again. She tells Danny that her suspicions were correct, he does have and E.coli infection. She tells him to stop the antibiotics she prescribed him immediately, as they often worsen the infection and not to take antidiarrheals because it slows the movement of food and waste through the intestines and gives the body more time to absorb the poisons released by the bacteria.

 

“That probably explains why your infection got so serious so quickly,” she explains, “You need to make sure you stay hydrated and get some rest. You can take Acetaminophen for the fever, but do not take aspirin or ibuprofen because it may make the bleeding worse. You should be feeling better in a few days, a week at the most, if you look after yourself.”

  
Danny and Steve thank Doctor Kahala and leave. Danny finds it hard to stay awake as they drive home, physically and emotionally exhausted.


	15. Chapter 15

Steve has to wake Danny up when they get home and they walk in to find Danny’s parents, sisters and Grace in the living room waiting anxiously.

 

“Danno!” Grace cries out, running to hug Danny, “Grandma said you had to go to hospital.”

 

“I’m fine,” Danny says, stroking Grace’s hair, “It’s just a tummy bug.”

 

Danny watches as the sympathy and concern slide off his father’s and sisters’ faces. Only his mom still looks worried. Danny’s often used a ‘stomach bug’ as code for IBS with people who don’t know about his illness. Clearly his father and sisters think that’s the case now.

 

“He has an E.Coli infection,” Steve says pointedly, placing a hand on Danny’s shoulder and kneading the muscle there. Danny’s family’s reaction must have been obvious to Steve as well.

 

Rebecca and Joanna have the good grace to look chagrinned, but his dad is too stubborn to do anything but scowl. Danny’s dad has never taken being corrected well.

 

“Are you going to be ok?” Grace asks, looking up at Danny with sad eyes.

 

“I’m going to be fine, Monkey,” Danny smiles, “The doctor said all I need is a little rest and I’ll be alright in no time.”

 

“Ok,” Grace says, “You should get to bed then, the faster you rest, the faster you’ll get better.”

 

She starts tugging on Danny’s arms, leading him upstairs. Danny goes without protest, keen to get back to bed and hopefully sleep. Steve follows them, hovering protectively behind Danny. In the bedroom Grace watches sternly while Danny gets into bed.

 

“Did you eat breakfast?” Danny asks Grace once he’s under the covers.

 

“Yeah, grandma made pancakes,” Grace smiles, “They’re almost as good as yours, Uncle Steve!”

 

“Oh yeah?” Steve says, “I bet they’re better than mine. Grandmas always cook better that dads.”

 

Steve immediately catches what he just said and looks at Danny a little guiltily. Danny smiles back at him; the fact that Steve loves Grace enough to consider himself one of her dads couldn’t make Danny happier.

 

“I love eating your food,” Grace says to Steve, either not picking up on what Steve said or not caring, “Grandma kept some for you, if you wanna try?”

 

“Sure, I’d love to,” Steve says, “Let me just get something for Danno first.”

 

“Ok!” Grace says, going back down stairs, trusting Steve to make sure Danny’s ok.

 

“Just so we’re clear,” Danny says, “I think it’s great that you think of yourself as one of Grace’s dads.”

 

Steve breaths a small sigh of relief, “You know I love her, I just don’t want to be stepping over any boundaries.”

 

“You’re not,” Danny reassures him.

 

“Ok,” Steve says, “You want Ensure or something more substantial?”

 

“Just Ensure,” Danny says, the thought of real food is wholly unappetising, even his mom’s pancakes.

 

Steve nods, “I’ll get you some acetaminophen too, see if we can’t get that fever down.”

 

“Thanks,” Danny says, “Look, babe, I want you to take Grace and my family to the aquarium like we planned today. I’m not going to be able to do anything for a few days and Grace needs to spend all the time she can with her grandparents and aunts, it’s important.”

 

“Ok,” Steve agrees, “But you promise that you’ll phone me if you need anything?”

 

“I promise,” Danny says, though he can’t imagine what he’d need from Steve so urgently.

 

Steve heads downstairs to get Danny his Ensure and the painkiller. Danny closes his eyes for a second but opens them again when he hears footsteps in the hall outside his room.

 

“Can I come in?” his mom asks.

 

“Of course,” Danny says, scooting up the bed to sit up.

 

“How are you feeling, really?” she asks, sitting on the bed next to him and feeling his forehead with the back of her hand, “You feel too hot.”

 

“I know, Steve’s bringing me something for that,” Danny says, “I’m mostly just tired, stomach’s a little sore.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she says, stroking Danny’s hair. Danny could fall asleep with her doing that, and often did as a kid.

 

“You know your father and sisters love you, right?” His mom says.

 

“Ma,” Danny starts. They’ve had this conversation so many times.

 

“I know they’re not showing it properly and you know I’ve tried talking to them about that, but they are just concerned about you,” Lucy continues.

 

“I know, ma, but knowing doesn’t help,” Danny says.

 

Lucy sighs, “They’re too stubborn to see reason on this.”

 

“Yeah,” Danny nods sadly.

 

Steve comes in then and Lucy leaves them, patting Steve on the shoulder as she passes him.

 

“Everything ok?” Steve asks, giving Danny the Ensure and a couple of pills.

 

“Yeah, just my mom trying to explain that my pops and sisters love me even if they don’t show it,” Danny says, trying not to sound too down.

 

“I wish there was something I could do,” Steve scowls.

 

“Me too,” Danny says before swallowing down the pills with a mouthful of Ensure.

 

“Rebecca and Joanna are just getting ready and then we’re going to go,” Steve says, “Are you sure you want to stay home alone?”

 

“I’m just going to sleep, I don’t need anyone to watch me do that,” Danny smiles at Steve’s concern.

 

“Ok, babe,” Steve says, kissing Danny gently, “Remember you can phone me.”

 

“I know,” Danny says.

 

Steve changes the bandages on Danny’s wrists and head before he goes. Another day and Danny will probably be able to leave his wrists uncovered; they’re healing well. Steve kisses Danny again before he goes, keeping it soft and sweet and leaving Danny with not doubt that Steve’s saying ‘I love you.’

 

+

 

Danny sleeps for most of the morning, only getting up periodically to go to the toilet. Steve left him a couple of bottles of gatorade which Danny makes his way through. He can tell that his fever has gone down a little.

 

Around lunchtime he hears the front door open and then Kono’s voice, “Danny?”

 

Surprised, Danny heads downstairs and finds Kono and Chin.

 

“Hey, what are you guys doing here?” Danny asks, “And how did you get in? I know that door was locked.”

 

“Got the key from Steve,” Kono says, “He said you were sick and asked us to check on you.”

 

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Danny frowns.

 

“We know, brah,” Chin says, “We wanted to see you, too.”

 

“Plus,” Kono chimes in, holding up a plastic container, “I bought soup and once you’ve tasted it you’ll be grateful we came over.”

 

“Um, thanks,” Danny says, eyeing the soup a little warily. He appreciates the gesture but he’s not guaranteed that he can eat it.

 

“Don’t worry,” Kono smiles, “I made it myself, it’s a simple broth, a bit of chicken and noodles, no onion. It shouldn’t cause you problems.”

 

“Wow, thank you,” Danny says, feeling bad that he doubted Kono, “I really appreciate that.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Kono says, “Now go sit on the couch, I’ll warm this up.”

 

Danny does what he’s told, happy to sit down.

 

“You want any help, cuz?” Chin asks Kono.

 

“Nah, I’m cool. Go keep the invilid company,” Kono says, then winks at Danny.

 

“Hey!” Danny says in token protest.

 

Chin chuckles and sits down next to Danny.

 

“So how are you doing?” Chin asks kindly.

 

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Danny says.

 

“You have a gift for the understatement,” Chin says, raising an eyebrow.

 

“You’re probably the only person who has ever, and will ever say that to me,” Danny says with amusement.

 

“When it comes to your health it’s true,” Chin says a little more seriously.

 

Dany shrugs. Chin might have him on that. He never wants to sound moany or pathetic. If he complained every time he felt bad he’d never say anything else.

 

Kono comes through then with three bowls of soups, she hands both Danny and Chin a bowl, and sits down on the other side of Danny.

 

“I couldn’t find spoons,” Kono says, “You guys happy to just slurp?”

 

“Sure,” Danny says, not fussy about that kind of thing. Chin’s already tipping his bowl and taking a sip.

 

“Good stuff,” Chin says after his first taste.

 

Danny takes a drink and is pleasantly surprised. He didn’t expect it to be so tasty.

 

“Thanks, Kono,” Danny says again.

 

“No worries,” Kono smiles.

 

They sit quietly, each enjoying their own food. Danny’s actually grateful for the company. Chin and Kono’s presence is calming. There are no demands or expectations with them and while Danny can be a lick his wounds in private kind of guy, it’s nice to be looked after too. Especially in the low key way Chin and Kono do it.

 

When they’re finished lunch Danny asks, “Did Steve speak to you about Joe?”

 

“No,” Chin answers, both him and Kono frowning.

 

“What about him?” Kono asks.

 

“We went out for supper last night and ran into him while we were leaving. He was his usual shitty self, but he made a couple of comments about the bruises on my face and he and Steve kinda got into it. Long story short, Steve wants to see if there’s any connection between what happened to me, and Joe,” Danny explains.

 

“Do you really think Joe could have been behind it?” Chin asks skeptically.

 

“My gut says no. He’s an asshole, sure, but kidnapping? What would he have to gain from that, and why didn’t he turn up while I was there?” Danny says.

 

“You’re probably right,” Kono says with a shrug, “But we may as well check it out. It’s not like we have any other leads.”

 

She shoots Danny an apologetic look. Danny waves her off. It’s not anybody’s fault that they don’t have anymore information, as frustrating as it is.

 

“Are you enjoying having your family around?” Kono changes the subject.

 

“Yeah,” Danny says half-heartedly.

 

“Well I definitely expected more enthusiasm,” Chin says with a worried look, “Everything ok?”

 

“Look, it’s nice to see them and I really missed them and they approve of Steve which is all good,” Danny hedges.

 

“But?” Kono prompts.

 

“But they’re not exactly supportive when it comes to be being sick and it’s tough,” Danny says, trying not to let the hurt show.

 

“In what way?” Chin asks.

 

“They think it’s all psychological, well maybe not my mom, she tries at least. My dad is a firefighter, so he’s got that whole ‘suck it up and be a man’ thing going on. I always got the impression he was a little embarrassed by me. I dunno, whatever it is it makes him uncomfortable,” Danny says.

 

“I’m sorry,” Kono says, touching Danny’s arm lightly. Chin looks perturbed.

 

“Joanna used to tell me she was worried I had an eating disorder,” Danny carries on, “I don’t know what she thinks now, but she wasn’t happy when I was sick last night. Rebecca’s always been less serious than Joanna, she’s mostly just ignored the whole thing, but the more apparent it becomes the more annoyed she gets.”

 

“That’s terrible,” Chin says, angry on Danny’s behalf.

 

“I just don’t understand how they can be so stupid!” Kono rants.

 

“Look,” Danny says, “I don’t want you to think they’re bad people or anything.”

 

“Oh, Danny,” Kono says, “I don’t mean that. I just wish they weren’t so blind. It’s hard enough having to deal with what you do, but not having the support of your family must be tough.”

 

“I’m assuming you’ve tried talking to them?” Chin asks like he knows the answer already.

 

“Yeah, a little. I mean, we generally end up having a fight about it every few years and in the in between bits I keep being sick to myself as much as possible and they keep their judgement to themselves. It’s an uneasy truce, but it’s the best I’ve got,” Danny says with shrug, “It’s not worth pushing so hard that I lose them, y’know?”

 

“But they’re family,” Kono says, though Chin’s nodding like he understands. He does in his own way, with his family turning their backs on him after the whole being accused of stealing that money. Kono is so loyal, and has never experienced it herself, that she can’t compute it, even though she saw it happen to Chin.

 

“I’m not saying they’ll disown me, but I want my relationship with them to be as good as possible, especially now that I live so far away from them. I don’t want things to be too strained,” Danny explains.

 

“Ok,” Kono says, “I can understand that. But do you think there’s anyway to explain IBS to them without a fight?”

 

Danny laughs, “In the Williams family? Not likely.”

 

Chin and Kono both laugh.

 

“So is Steve overwhelmed or in seventh heaven with all you guys in one space?” Chin asks with a chuckle.

 

“Hmm,” Danny thinks about it, “I think my mom scares him a little. He’s worried about them liking him, not that he’s said so out loud. He’s been usual charming Steve, but he’s picked up on the whole judgemental family thing and it’s causing some strain.”

 

Danny yawns then and Chin and Kono take that as their cue to leave. Danny shows them to the door.

 

“There’s still more soup in the kitchen if you want,” Kono says, hugging Danny.

 

“Thank you,” Danny says, giving her a little squeeze before letting go.

 

Chin gives Danny a clap on the shoulder, “Keep well, brah.”

 

“I’ll try,” Danny smiles, “Hey, the doc says I’ll be better in a few days, we’ll organize a barbecue and you guys can come around and meet my family.”

 

“Sounds great,” Chin says.

 

Danny takes more painkillers and heads back upstairs after they leave and gets back into bed. His fever is climbing again, he can tell. He feels like he used up all his energy on Chin and Kono. As nice as it was, he’s glad to have the space to rest now.

 

+

 

Steve, Grace and Danny’s family arrive home late afternoon. He’s woken up by Grace jumping on the bed and immediately launching into a story about the aquarium and how Joanna was freaked out by the crabs. Danny tries to follow the narrative as best he can, and laughs in the right places but he has a little trouble keeping up with Grace’s rambling with his brain still half asleep.

 

“And grandma’s making lasagna tonight!” Grace says when she’s finished her story, “She says I can help her!”

 

“That’s great, Monkey,” Danny smiles, although the idea of eating something as rich and substantial as lasagna right now turns Danny’s stomach.

 

“Ok, she’s starting soon, I’m going to go help her,” Grace says, jumping off the bed and running back downstairs.

 

“Hey, no running in the house!” Danny calls after her.

 

Danny gets out of bed, wanting to go downstairs to join his family when Joanna comes in.

 

“Hey Danny, I can talk to you?” She asks tentatively.

 

“Yeah, of course,” Danny says, wondering what this is about.

 

“Look, I wanted to apologise about this morning, we all jumped the gun a little and we should have been more sympathetic,” Joanna says.

 

“Thank you,” Danny responds, and stops himself from saying that they should be sympathetic all the time, not just when he’s sick with something not IBS.

 

“I just think that maybe there’s something you can do to improve your situation,” Joanna continues.

 

“I’m sorry?” Danny says, hoping that she’ll drop this line of conversation.

 

“If you ate better, things might be different.”

 

Fuck he should have known better.

 

“Joanna, there’s nothing else I can do,” Danny says, trying to stay calm.

 

“Really?” Joanna says aggressively, “Rebecca has a friend who had IBS. She stopped eating wheat and it cured her.”

 

“If not eating wheat stopped her symptoms, then she didn’t have IBS in the first place,” Danny snaps.

 

“That’s bullshit,” Joanna’s almost shouting now, “You know Danny, sometimes I think you want to be sick? Is that it?”

 

“Excuse me?” Steve hisses, stepping into the room.

 

“Doesn’t it bother you that Danny’s sick all the time? That he can do something to fix it but he won’t?” Joanna says, turning to Steve. She doesn’t know Steve well enough to know that she’s not just on thin ice, she’s in the damn water already. Danny cringes. She looks back at Danny, “I don’t know why you won’t help yourself!”

 

“Let’s get something straight here,” Steve says lowly, “Danny works damn hard everyday to try and avoid flare-ups but even so he still has to deal with a shitload of pain. Don’t you dare say that he wants to be sick when he spends so much time and effort trying not to be.”

 

Joanna gapes at him but before she can recover enough to say anything Steve carries on speaking.

 

“The way you treat him is horrible, all of you,” Steve building up steam now, his voice getting loud, “You treat Danny’s pain like it’s an inconvenience to you. How are you not ashamed of yourselves? How can you sit there and judge him and think that’s ok? Let me ask you something, even if it was psychological, and not physical like it is, why would you think treating Danny like you do is ok?”

 

Joanna storms out the room in a huff, not willing or able to answer Steve, pushing past Danny’s father who appears at the door.

 

“How dare you speak to my daughter like that,” Hank shouts, posture aggressive.

 

“With all due respect, sir,” Steve says, pulling himself to his full height, “This is my house and Danny is my partner. I see how much he suffers everyday and I see how much he tries to hide it and put on a brave face. I can only assume you and your family have no idea the severity of Danny’s illness and I stand by what I said. I won’t apologise for defending him.”

 

For a second Danny thinks his dad is going to hit Steve and he takes a step forward in preparation of getting between them. But Hank just shakes his head and leaves, stomping down the stairs. Steve turns to Danny and takes a step forward. Danny feels shellshocked. Steve seems to deflate as he takes another step towards Danny.

 

“Did I just fuck everything up?” Steve asks quietly.

 

Danny’s not sure how to answer that because yeah, things with his family are going to be awkward now, but Danny isn’t angry with Steve. In fact, he’s grateful. Danny surprises Steve by pulling him into a hug.

 

“Thanks for sticking up for me,” Danny says by way of an answer.

 

“Even if your family hate me now?” Steve asks.

 

“I don’t think they’ll hate you, not after everyone calms down,” Danny answers.

 

“I’m still not sorry,” Steve says defiantly.

 

“I don’t want you to be,” Danny says.

 

“Danno?” Comes Grace’s tentative voice from the doorway. Danny looks up to see Grace looking worried. Her eyes are watery with tears not yet falling.

 

“Grace, baby, come here, what’s wrong?” Danny says, kneeling on the floor with his arms out.

 

Grace steps forward into his hug and buries her face in his shoulder.

 

“Why was everybody shouting?” Grace mumbles.

 

“Aw, Gracie, I’m sorry about that,” Steve says, kneeling down too and putting his hand on Grace’s back. He looks guilty now. Steve may not regret his words, but Danny knows that the idea of upsetting Grace must be eating him up inside.

 

“Steve and Auntie Jo got into a bit of an argument and grandpa didn’t like it,” Danny tries to simplify it. He doesn’t want Grace taking sides.

 

“About what?” Grace sniffs.

 

“Gracie,” Steve says gently, “You know how much I love Danno, right?”

 

Grace nods.

 

“Well sometimes that makes me a bit overprotective, like when Danno tells you boys are evil,” Steve winks and it earns him a small smile from Grace, “Joanna and I had a fight because we both really love Danno, but we disagree about what’s best for him.”

 

“So who was right?” Grace asks and Steve flounders at that.

 

“Well,” Danny says, wondering how to say this without making Joanna out to be the bad guy, “Auntie Jo didn’t have all the facts, but Steve did, so I think Steve was right. But Monkey? That doesn’t mean that you should feel differently about Auntie Jo.”

 

Grace thinks that over and then nods, “Ok.”

  
Danny mouths ‘thank you’ at Steve over Grace and Steve inclines his head in acknowledgement. As tense as Danny’s sure things are going to be, he’s got a perfect family right here with Grace and Steve and that’s more than enough.


	16. Chapter 16

Supper is as awkward as Danny feared. His dad’s stony silence is oppressive and Joanna does her best to look anywhere but at Steve or Danny. Rebecca, Danny assumes, is taking Joanna and their dad’s side and she too remains quiet. Danny’s mom does her best to engage Steve, Danny and Grace in conversation but the way she is purposefully leaving out the rest of the family cuts a clear battleline. At least Danny still has his mom in his corner. Danny knows that in a few days they’ll all be pretending that this never happened for the sake of harmony, but until then it’s going to be painful.

 

Danny eats the lasagna even though his stomach isn’t really feeling up to it. Making a fuss about food now will just spark another fight and Danny’s not willing to do that. As much as it tastes good, it sits heavily in his stomach. It’s been days since Danny’s been able to eat anything substantial, between being sick now, being kidnapped and being sick before that, Danny’s stomach just isn’t used to normal portions anymore. He eats half of what he’d normally eat, which isn’t much to begin with, being full hurts Danny on a good day. Steve’s eaten double Danny’s normal portion, complimenting Danny’s mom on her cooking. Danny’s mom beams at the compliment. She glances at Danny’s plate and gives him a look of sympathy and thankfully doesn’t say anything about how little Danny’s eating.

 

The meal is over quickly, no one willing to drag the tension out. Danny’s dad takes himself off to bed early and Danny’s sister offer to do the dishes.

 

“I’m sorry, I should have cooked something easier on your stomach, I didn’t think,” Danny’s mom says, when it’s just them, Steve and Grace.

 

“It’s ok, pretty much everything is a problem right now. It still tasted great, thanks Ma,” Danny pats his mom’s hand.

 

“How are you feeling, really?” She asks.

 

“A little better,” Danny answers honestly. His trips to the toilet have been less frequent since late afternoon and he hasn’t spotted anymore blood.

 

“You look tired, did you rest today?”

 

“Yeah, I slept a lot actually,” Danny says, smiling at his mom’s concern.

 

“Good, but I think you could do with an early night,” Lucy fusses.

 

“You’re probably right,” Danny says. It’s damn early still, but the weight of the fight and still being sick is taking it’s toll on him.

 

“I wouldn’t mind an early night either,” Steve says, possibly in solidarity. Though from the dark rings under his eyes, maybe Steve could use one too. Steve may not be sick, but the past week has been as emotionally taxing as Danny’s has.

 

“Can I sleep with you tonight?” Grace asks hesitantly.

 

“Of course, baby,” Danny says. There’s no way Grace missed the tension tonight and she wasn’t her normal bubbly self at all. Danny resents the fact that it’s come to this, given how excited Grace was the night before to be having a sleepover with her aunts. He wishes Joanna had just left the unsteady truce alone.

 

They wish Danny’s mom goodnight and Steve does the locking up while Grace goes to change into her pyjamas and Danny heads upstairs. Danny strips down to his boxers and changes into a different t-shirt. Grace beats Steve upstairs and snuggles into bed with a book.

 

“Only a few minutes reading and then we’re sleeping, ok?” Danny warns her.

 

“Sure, Danno,” Grace replies already engrossed in her book.

 

Steve comes up shortly after that and changes in the bathroom into a t-shirt and track bottoms. Danny’s sure he’ll be too hot, having had plenty of experience of how warm it gets with a child in the bed, but he knows Steve would feel uncomfortable in just boxers so he doesn’t meddle. Danny and Steve take turns brushing their teeth.

 

“You sure you’re going to be able to sleep now?” Danny asks Steve quietly.

 

“Believe it or not, I actually am really tired,” Steve answers.

 

“We’re getting old,” Danny remarks, “Being in bed before 10pm is just sad. I used to be able to stay up all night and function the next morning.”

 

“I’m not getting old, I refuse,” Steve says.

 

“The grey hair at your temples says otherwise,” Danny smirks.

 

Steve looks mildly offended, “At least I don’t have crows feet.”

 

“You’re a Judas,” Danny says, affronted.

 

“Hey, you started it,” Steve holds his hands up.

 

“Yeah, whatever,” Danny says, kissing Steve chastely, “I’m sleepy.”

 

“Bed time,” Steve confirms.

 

Grace is yawning by the time they come out of the bathroom and doesn’t argue when Danny tells her it’s time for sleep. They lie with Grace in the middle; Danny on his back with Grace resting her head on his chest. Steve lies on his side so he can see both of them.

 

“I don’t like fighting,” Grace pipes up a few minutes later.

 

“I know,” Danny says, “Me neither. But that’s how families are sometimes. It doesn’t mean we don’t love each other.”

 

“But when you and mommy fought it meant that,” Grace says and her words feel like a stab in the heart.

 

“Oh, Monkey, it’s a lot more complicated than that,” Danny says soothingly, “I still loved your mom even when we were fighting, but sometimes even when you love someone it’s better that you don’t stay together. But it’s different when you’re related to someone, instead of married.”

 

“I’m sorry about the fighting, Gracie,” Steve says and even in the relative darkness Danny can see how devastated Steve looks.

 

“It’s not your fault,” Grace says, “Auntie Jo should apologise. That’s what you do when you’re wrong, Danno always says that.”

 

“It’s true, babe,” Danny says, fixing Steve with a knowing look. Steve doesn’t need to take this on; not his family’s refusal to see reason and not the wounds left over from Danny and Rachel’s divorce.

 

“I love you Danno, I love you Uncle Steve,” Grace says by way of goodnight.

 

“I love you too, Gracie,” Steve says solemnly.

 

“Love you, too, Monkey,” Danny kisses Grace’s head, “Love you babe.”

 

“Night Danno, you too,” Steve answers. He looks a little less upset now.

 

+

 

Danny’s up a few times during the night going to the toilet. Grace sleeps through it, thankfully, but Steve wakes up every time. Whenever he gets back into bed Steve reaches over Grace and touches Danny’s arm or chest, giving silent sympathy.

 

Grace is happier the next morning and more inclined to talk to Danny’s sisters. So far everyone seems to be ignoring what happened the previous day, but there’s still an unspoken tension hovering around. Danny’s family and Grace spend the morning on the beach out back. Danny’s still not up for anything physical and Steve doesn’t want to be surrounded by Danny’s family without backup. Danny can’t blame him.

 

In their bedroom Steve changes into running clothes and Danny watches him. It feels like ages since they’ve had time alone together, even if it’s only been three days. Danny wishes he was feeling better and they could put the alone time to good use.

 

“Hey babe?” Danny says when Steve’s finished lacing up his running shoes.

 

“Yeah?” Steve says, turning to look at Danny.

 

“You know Grace being upset isn’t your fault, right?” Danny says watching Steve’s face carefully for signs that he doesn’t believe him. And there it is, that slight down-pull in the right corner of his mouth.

 

“Grace’s reaction- that’s on me and Rachel, ok?” Danny presses.

 

Steve lets out a long slow breath and says, “I just never want to hurt her.”

 

“I know, babe, believe me. It kills me what the divorce did to her, what the fighting did. But I also know we’re all better off that the divorce happened and that Grace needs time to heal just like Rachel and I did. I do wish Rachel and I had been more civil, for Grace’s sake at least,” Danny explains, feeling that familiar pang of guilt that he’s hurt his baby girl.

 

“I’ve never met a more devoted father,” Steve says, hugging Danny, “So don’t beat yourself up either, ok?”

 

“Yeah,” Danny says, trying to take his own advice, “Now go run, you big lug, before it gets to hot.”

 

“Are you sure?” Steve asks, “I could stay with you.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Danny smiles, “Go on, I know you need to burn off the energy.”

 

Steve kisses Danny and leaves. Danny grabs a book and goes downstairs, heading out to the lanai. He sits in one of the lawn chairs, the morning air still fairly cool. He’s feeling better than he did yesterday and his fever is coming down, but he’s still tired and feeling weak. His attention wanders between the book and his family down on the beach. He can hear Grace’s delighted shouts and his dad’s deep laugh drifts up to him. He’d love to be down there, involved in the fun they’re so clearly having, but Danny wonders whether his presence would put a damper on things.

 

Danny tries to focus on his book after that, not wanting to head down the self pity path. He’s moderately distracted by his book until he hears someone walking towards him. He looks up to find Rebecca coming up the yard, wrapped in a towel and wet hair plastered to his head.

 

“Hey Danny,” Rebecca smiles, sitting on the chair next to him, “You doing alright?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Danny answers, “You guys having fun?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Rebecca grins, “But a little bit too much sun for me.”

 

Danny smiles at that. Rebecca’s always had fair skin and she burns easily. Her cheeks are already going red. Rebecca doesn’t say anything more but Danny can tell there’s something on her mind.

 

“What’s up?” He asks casually, hoping that’s enough to prompt her.

 

Rebecca sighs. “I know yesterday was a bit of a fuck up,” she says bluntly.

 

“Yeah,” Danny says, guarded. The last thing he needs is another confrontation.

 

“I’m not here to fight with you,” Rebecca says earnestly.

 

“Ok,” Danny says, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

“I just want to know, is it really as bad as Steve said?” She asks, seemingly genuinely concerned.

 

“Yeah,” Danny nods, “I’m pretty much in pain all the time, no matter what I do or don’t eat.”

 

Rebecca looks sad at that. She reaches out and takes both of Danny’s hands in hers.

 

“Then I just want to say I’m really sorry we’ve given you such a hard time. I didn’t realise it was that bad,” Rebecca says contritely.

 

Danny raises an eyebrow, “Really?”

 

He knows he should be accepting his sister’s olive branch, but after all these years, after yesterday, he doesn’t feel all that charitable.

 

“I did some googling last night, after you went to bed,” Rebecca continues, “IBS isn’t what I thought it was, and that friend of mine? Either her doctor was way wrong or she diagnosed herself, because I know now that she definitely didn’t have IBS. I’m sorry I never made the effort to understand before.”

 

“Thank you,” Danny says, sure of his sister’s sincerity now. He never expected this about face.

 

“I can’t speak for Joanna or dad, but you’ve got my support and I promise I’m going to be in your corner from now on. I’m going to work on them as well, try and get them to come around,” Rebecca smiles.

 

“You have no idea how much that means to me,” Danny says, feeling really touched. He’s not sure how successful Rebecca will be with their dad and sister, they’re both as stubborn as each other and more stubborn than anyone else in their family, but Danny appreciates the gesture.

 

“Why didn’t you ever tell us how bad it was?” Rebecca asks, not sounding reproachful but genuinely curious.

 

“I tried at first, but it was embarrassing and private,” Danny shakes his head, “You all had your own ideas about what was wrong with me and nothing I did could change that.”

 

Rebecca nods her head in sympathy, “I’m really sorry, Danny.”

 

Steve comes out onto the lanai then, fresh from his post run shower, his hair still damp. Rebecca gets up and takes Steve by surprise and hugs him. Confused, Steve returns the hug tentatively.

 

“Thank you for looking after my brother,” Rebecca says.

 

“Always,” Steve says, eyes softening. He looks at Danny over Rebecca’s shoulder and gives him a goofy smile.

 

+

 

They all have lunch out on the lanai and Rebecca’s newfound support of Danny bridges the gap between the two sides of the Williams family and eases over the last of the tension. Grace has to go back to Rachel in the afternoon, much to her dismay, but she’s mollified when Danny’s mom promises her that they’ll still be seeing her often. Danny’s already organised a few afternoons seeing Grace with Rachel, who was happy to agree.

  
Steve drives Grace to Rachel’s, Danny not sure if he can risk the car trip just yet. His stomach is still playing up and he’s proved right when a few minutes after Grace and Steve leave Danny is rushing upstairs to the toilet.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this chapter out sooner, sorry for the wait. Word to the wise, do not get flu while there's a heatwave and then have a flare-up.

The next day, being Monday, means Steve has to go into work. He fusses over Danny before he leaves, changing his bandages and reminding Danny that he needs to stay hydrated like Danny doesn’t suffer from chronic diarrhea. Not that Danny minds, being looked after by Steve makes him feel safe and loved and Danny will never admit that outloud. Steve promises Danny before he goes that he’ll let Danny know where they are on finding out who took him.

 

Danny’s still not feeling great and hesitantly lets his family know that he won’t be able to do much today. He’s not met with the usual glares of disapproval, just an uneasy look from Joanna and his dad’s neutral face that means he’s trying not to react. It’s an improvement. His dad suggests a drive around the island, Danny’s sisters and mom agreeing readily, so danny happily hands him the keys to the camaro. Danny goes back upstairs when they leave and ends up having to go to the toilet before he gets back into bed. His stomach cramps aren’t as bad and his trips to the toilet are less frequent but Danny’s sure it’s still going to be a few days before he’s approaching normal. Which, to be fair, isn’t much different from how he’s feeling now, except the stomach cramps let up for a short while after going to the bathroom and he won’t have a fever.

 

Danny settles into bed and pulls just a sheet over himself, too hot for the duvet but needing some sort of covering over him. He lies on his side facing Steve’s side of the bed. There’s still an indentation in Steve’s pillow from where he slept and Danny pulls the pillow towards him and hugs it to his chest. It’s not just a comfort thing, which admittedly does play a role, but being able to roll slightly onto the pillow eases some of the pain in Danny’s stomach. He drifts off to sleep easily, the soft smell of Steve lulling him.

 

He’s woken by a noise that he doesn’t remember once he’s awake. He lies still, waiting to see if it happens again. He has no idea what woke him, it could be anything from a bird call to a car backfiring to one of those annoying frogs. He hears footsteps downstairs, one of the downsides of wooden floors and relaxes. Danny checks the time. He didn’t expect his family back so soon and figures it was the front door opening that woke him. He gets up and grabs his phone, checking for messages as heads downstairs to see why his family are back so early.

 

There’s a text from Steve saying that he didn’t want to risk waking Danny with a call and that they hadn’t found anything linking Joe to the kidnapping. Steve ended the message with one of those hearts made from a less than sign and a three. It makes Danny snort at the lameness of it and he knows that’s exactly why Steve sometimes ends messages with them. He reaches the bottom of the stairs and looks up from his phone. There’s no one around that he can see.

 

“Hey guys?” He calls, stepping forward. No one answers him but there’s movement in the kitchen, so Danny’s heads there. A man walks out of the kitchen before Danny reaches it and Danny stops short. He’s holding a gun but it’s pointed at the floor.

 

“Detective Danny Williams,” the man smiles.

 

Shit. Shit. Standing before him is Santino Louise, son of the Don of the Jersey mob that Danny put away seven years ago. Danny got him on drug possession and fraud, but couldn’t get him on the numerous murders Danny suspected he committed.

 

“Santino,” Danny grimaces, “Can’t say I’m happy to see you.”

 

Santino laughs, “And I think you’ve already met my associate Riccardo.”

 

“It’s Rick,” a voice comes from behind Danny.

 

Danny looks around and sure as hell, there’s Rick a few steps behind him, loftily holding a gun. He’s got a bandage over his eye and Danny takes a certain amount of satisfaction over that.

 

“Your parents gave you a good Italian name and you go with Rick,” Santino shakes his head.

 

Danny tries to subtly speed dial Steve but Santino catches him.

 

“Uh-uh, Detective, phone on the floor,” Santino says, aiming his gun at Danny.

 

Danny doesn’t have a choice and he sets his phone down.

 

“Kick it over here,” Santino instructs, waving his gun for emphasis.

 

Danny does at he’s told, resenting every second of it. He’s sick and tired of being at other people’s mercy and it’s really starting to grate on his nerves. Santino stomps on Danny’s phone with his heel, cracking the screen beyond repair and probably rendering it inoperable. Danny secretly misses the more robust cellphones from ten years ago.

 

“Danny, I think you should sit down, we’ve got some things to discuss,” Santino says pleasantly, like he hasn’t just been waving his gun at Danny.

 

Danny shakes his head, “I’ll stand.”

 

“I know you already know what Riccardo is capable of, and I think you know cloned credit cards and fake IDs aren’t my only forte,” Santino says, with a smirk like a shark, “So please, sit down.”

 

Rick grabs a chair from the dining table and pulls it towards Danny, letting its legs scrape along the wooden floor, leaving scratches and scuff marks. He gestures to it with his gun. Danny sits down begrudgingly. Whatever Santino has in mind, it’s not good and Danny needs to find a way out of it. Steve used to keep guns stashed around the place but since Danny moved in and Grace started coming over he put them all in a safe upstairs. Danny could have really benefitted from Steve’s paranoia right now. If they’re distracted enough Danny might be able to make it upstairs, but opening the safe in time is a long shot. Danny’s gun is in there too, not that it makes a difference. But it’s his best chance.

 

“How’s your eye?” Danny asks Rick with a grin.

 

“You fuck,” Rick snarls, hitting Danny across the face with his gun. The metal bites into Danny’s cheek and jars his jaw. Danny brings his hand up to his face, not only is he sure it’s going to bruise, but it’s cut too. Danny’s fingers come away wet with blood.

 

“Riccardo,” Santino says warningly.

 

“I lost a fucking eye because of him!” Rick complains, gesturing violently at Danny.

 

“I told you to do surveillance until I got to the island, you jumped the gun, you paid for it, stop being a whiney bitch,” Santino snaps.

 

Rick crosses his arms with a mullish expression. Danny wonders whether he can use the tension between them to his advantage.

 

“Danny,” Santino says, drawing Danny’s attention back to him, “Nice place you’ve got here. Beach front property is expensive, your boyfriend’s house, I take it?”

 

Danny tenses at that and scowls.

 

“Oh please,” Santino says, “I have a friend who’s a fag, toughest son of a bitch I know. I’m not judging you. He’s a Navy SEAL, your man?”

 

Danny glares at Santino, wondering what the fuck his game is.

 

“Danny,” Santino admonishes him, waving his gun at Danny, “Don’t be rude, I asked you a question.”

 

“Yes,” Danny bites out, “He’s navy.”

 

“I ran into a Navy buddy of his, well, buddy is probably a strong word. It’s clear from what happened outside that restaurant that there’s no love lost between them. Joe somebody. He had a lot to say about you two once I got a few drinks in him. Homophobic asshole, but we’ve all got our weaknesses,” Santino rambles on.

 

It’s making Danny’s skin crawl, the way he’s so conversational, casual. Danny wants nothing more than to tackle him to the ground and beat him to a pulp, but Rick’s trigger finger looks itchy and Danny can’t take the chance. Not yet.

 

“Did you take drama lessons in prison or something?” Danny scoffs with more confidence than he feels, “Will you just get to the point already?”

 

“You’re very eager to die,” Santino says like he’s discussing the weather. It makes Danny’s blood go cold.

 

“Fine,” Santino shrugs, his tone of voice turning more matter of fact, “Here’s the deal, I’m a reasonable man, you caught me fair and square and I did my time. Normally I would just leave you to your tropical paradise with your daughter and boyfriend, maybe you get married, adopt, the whole nine. Happily ever after for Detective Williams. The thing is, while I was in prison, my dad died. Heart attack if you can believe it. My cousin took control of the family,” Santino scowls, “He’s a ruthless bastard and people follow him because they’re as loyal as they are scared. I need to show them a display of power, as it were. What better way to start than by offing the cop who put me behind bars in the first place.”

 

Santino’s smile says he’s proud of his plan. Danny wonders how much of it is the truth and how much of it is Santino ‘justifying’ his urge to exact revenge. Danny suspects the latter. The man’s a fucking psychopath.

 

“You think you’re actually going to get away with killing me?” Danny asks disbelievingly.

 

“My guys took you a week ago, on the fly I might add,” Santino glares at Rick, “And the only reason you got away was because this asshole fucked up.”

 

Rick grumbles something under his breath, earning him a sharp look from Santino.

 

“If I’d killed you in that warehouse how long do you think it would have taken them to find your body?” Santino says in a cold dark voice, “Would they have even found you or do you think you’d have rotted away, leaving your man and daughter and family forever wondering what happened to you, not knowing that your skeleton sat just a few miles away from them.”

 

Danny feels biles rising in this throat and has to swallow it back. He clenches his fists to stop them from shaking. Danny won’t let Santino know how badly his words have affected him.

 

It’s like a shadow passes over Santino’s face and then he’s smiling again.

 

“I’ve been following you around since your family got here, lovely reunion by the way, it’s nice to see such a close family. You know I was on the same plane as them? I feel like fate is on my side. I didn’t even have to go looking for you, I stepped off a plane and there you were. It’s almost romantic” Santino shrugs, “I’m assuming you had no clue I had anything to do with it?”

 

Danny silence must be answer enough because Santino says, “I thought so.”

 

“So here’s the deal,” Santino continues, “Rick’s going to give you a good beating and then I’m going to kill you. And because I’m a nice guy, I’ll even call the cops when I leave so it’s not your family that find your body.”

 

Santino pulls out his phone and holds it up, “Smile detective, you’re on camera.”

 

Rick puts his gun in the back of his pants and hauls back and punches Danny in the face. From the crunching sound and the pain Danny is pretty sure his nose is broken. Danny’s taken right back to his cell, remembering that feeling of weakness, of being terrified and not being able to do a damn thing. Danny’s not going down without a fight this time. He won’t be made to feel so helpless again. His aim is one hundred percent not to die, but if he does, he’s going to go down fighting.

 

Danny jumps out of the chair and staying low, tackles Rick to the ground. Danny sits up quickly and aims a punch to the side of Rick’s face where he lost the eye, feeling the crunch of cheekbone and knuckles. Santino laughs and moves around for a better view, his phone pointed at Danny and Rick.

 

Taking advantage of the distraction, Rick gains purchase and flips Danny over so that Rick’s above him. Rick lands a couple of punches to Danny’s stomach, forcing the air out of him painfully. Danny bucks underneath him, trying to throw him off but Rick sticks fast. Danny clocks Rick under the chin and there’s a satisfying sound of teeth clacking together. Danny doesn’t give Rick time to recover and manages to push him off. Danny scrambles to his feet and grabs the chair. Danny’s on Rick’s blind side and Rick doesn’t even see what’s coming when Danny smashes the chair over Rick’s back. Rick falls to the floor with an ‘oof’.

 

“Ok, Danny, that’s enough,” Santino says, bringing his gun up alongside his phone.

 

Danny freezes and Rick groans from where he’s lying face down on the floor. Danny’s whole body aches and there’s a steady throbbing in his face and all of that fades into the background because there’s a gun on him and Danny had no idea how to get out of this situation.

 

“Do you have any last words?” Santino says, then laughs, “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

 

Santino nods towards the phone expectantly.

 

The roar of the Camaro pulling up outside distracts Santino and Danny doesn’t have time to think before he’s lunging towards Rick and grabbing the gun out of the back of his pants. He spins quickly and fires off two shot, hitting Santino square in the chest. He falls to the floor with a gasp, his phone and gun skitting away and by the rapid way the blood is pooling around him Danny reckons he was probably dead by the time he hit the floor.

 

Danny turns again and aims the gun at Rick.

 

“Don’t move,” Danny warns him and gets a pained moan in response.

 

The front door slams open and Danny’s dad comes racing in, panicked look on his face.

 

“Danny!” his dad says, stopping short and looking between Danny, Santino’s dead body and Rick. “What happened, are you ok?”

 

Danny’s sure he must look a sight, covered in blood thanks to his broken nose and breathing hard from the fight.

 

“Pops, I’m ok,” Danny reassures his father, “I need you to go back outside and keep mom and the girls there, they don’t need to see this.”

 

Hank’s eyes rest on Santino. There’s an amazing amount of blood.

 

“Pops,” Danny says to get his dad’s attention, “Give me your phone, I’ll phone Steve, you go look after mom and the girls, alright?”

 

“Right,” Hank nods, his eyes scanning Danny’s face as he hands over his cellphone before heading outside.

 

Danny dials Steve’s number.

 

“Hank?” Steve answers, sounding polite but guarded.

 

“Babe, it’s me,” Danny says, feeling unnaturally calm after having his life threatened and having just shot a man.

 

“Danny?” Steve says, confused.

 

“So I found out who kidnapped me,” Danny says, almost conversationally.

 

“What? Who?”

 

“He’s lying dead on the floor of our house, so you’ll probably want to come home,” Danny continues. He knows he should probably be taking this more seriously but the adrenalin is still racing through his body and there’s a profound sense of relief at knowing who kidnapped him and why, and that he took care of it himself.

 

“What?!” Steve shouts and Danny holds the phone a little way away from his ear.

 

“Bring Max, and Chin and Kono too. I’ve got Rick here as well, still alive unfortunately,” Danny says, earning him a half-hearted moan from Rick.

 

“Fuck, Danny, what happened, are you alright?” Steve says and Danny can hear from the sounds of jingling car keys that Steve’s getting ready to head out.

 

“I’ll explain when you get here, but I’m ok,” Danny assures Steve.

 

“I’ll be there in a few,” Steve says darkly and hangs up.

 

Danny would love to go get his handcuffs and cuff Rick to a chair but he doesn’t want to take his eyes off Rick for ever a second. There’s no way that asshole is getting away again. Danny scrubs at his face with one hand, keeping the gun on Rick. He wipes away some of the blood from his nose, which already seems to be slowing. It probably doesn’t do him much good but it helps with that wet itchy feeling of drying blood.

 

By the time he hears the sirens from Steve’s truck Danny is exhausted, crashing from the adrenalin. It hasn’t been long since the phonecall, Steve must have broken land speed records to get home.

 

Steve bursts in, gun raised, immediately scanning for threats before focussing on Danny and lowering his weapon.

 

“Danny,” Steve says in a breath, “Your face.”

 

“Yeah,” Danny shrugs, “You got cuffs?”

 

Danny holds his hand out and Steve hands over his cuffs. Danny puts the gun down on the table and bends down to handcuff Rick. Rick is docile and doesn’t fight Danny. He can only assume Rick knows when he’s lost. It’s the smartest thing Danny’s seen Rick do in their short but traumatic acquaintance.

 

Chin and Kono arrive before Danny can say anything else and he gives them all a quick overview of what went down and who Santino is. Steve looks caught between being proud of Danny and furious that Danny was in danger in the first place. Chin and Kono get Rick up off the floor and take him outside to the car, reading him his rights on the way. Danny sees the tense way Steve’s holding himself and reaches out a hand.

 

“Come on, papa bear,” Danny says with a grin and Steve immediately steps towards Danny, his body almost curling around Danny. Steve places a soft hand on Danny’s cheek, wiping away some blood with his thumb and lets out a breath.

 

“You hurt anywhere else,” Steve asks softly.

 

“Took a couple of hits to the stomach,” Danny says, then flexes his fingers, “Hands hurt but don’t think I broke anything.”

 

Danny’s knuckles and scraped and probably bruised, but the pain isn’t sharp enough for anything more serious.

 

“This cut?” Steve asks. His eyes are dark with anger but his voice and hands are soft.

 

“Pistol whipped,” Danny says, resting his hand on Steve’s chest to calm him. He tightens his fingers slightly over Steve’s heart and it eases the tense lines around Steve’s eyes.

 

“You’ll need to go to the hospital to fix your nose,” Steve says.

 

Danny nods, “You know, three trips in week is really over doing it.”

 

Steve gives a pained laugh, “Come on, let’s get going.”

 

“I just want to wash the blood off a bit,” Danny says, “Before my mom and sisters see me.”

 

Steve looks like he’s going to argue but Danny cuts him off, “I’ve got to go to the bathroom anyways.”

 

Now that the threat is dealt with, Danny’s stomach is making itself known again. Fuck but Danny could use a break from this.

 

He comes back downstairs marginally cleaner and about ten times more tired. Max is there, examining the body and gives Danny a knowing, “Detective Williams,” before getting back to his work. Danny knows that’s Max’s way of saying ‘I’m glad you’re ok’.

 

When Danny goes outside he’s swamped by his mother and sisters, all hugging him at the same time. It’s a little awkward hugging that many people but Danny doesn’t care. His mom looks tearful but is holding it together. His sisters aren’t though; Rebecca has tears streaming down her face and Joanna has red puffy eyes and that pinched look on her face that she gets when she’s trying to hold back emotion.

 

“Hey,” Danny says gently, “I’m ok, guys.”

 

He pulls Rebecca closer to him and kisses her forehead; she’s short enough that he can. He hugs Joanna next because she looks like she’s about to burst and he feels her body shake but when he lets go she looks more composed. His mom hugs him and even though he is a grown man, taller than her and a cop, she makes him feel safe.

 

“I’ve got to go to the hospital to get my nose fixed,” Danny says, sounding blocked up, “But I’m fine, really. Go out for lunch or something, CSU is going to be a while.”

  
He gets nods all round and his dad claps him on the back before Steve steers him to the truck with his hand against Danny’s lower back.


	18. Chapter 18

Danny feels the weight of everything that’s happened on the way to the hospital. The knowledge that a psychopath and his underling came into his home with the intention of killing him feels like an anvil to the head. There’s something incredibly violating about a home invasion, realising the place you feel safest isn’t as impenetrable as you think it is, that your safety is an illusion. Danny feels shaky, not just physically, but like he has an emotional tremor. It’s soothed when he thinks about Santino dead on the floor. He isn’t a threat anymore and Danny made that happen. Danny never thought he’d take comfort in someone else’s death.

 

This doesn’t feel like when Steve found him in the warehouse. There’s shock, yes, and the adrenalin come down, the enormity of the very real threat of death. But there isn’t the devastation that Danny now recognised he felt. He doesn’t feel broken or hollow. If anything there’s a sense of pride, of worth. He wasn’t the damsel. He held his ground and took a beating and gave one back. He didn’t just survive, he won. It’s a powerful thought and it sooths the edges of his trauma.

 

Steve is tense next to him and Danny places a hand on his thigh, wanting to comfort Steve as much as craves a physical connection with him. Steve glances at him, his worry lines deep.

 

“I’m ok, babe, really,” Danny says, his bloodied nose making his voice stuffy.

 

Steve raises an eyebrow at that and Danny smiles a little self-consciously. His point would have been better made if he didn’t have a broken nose.

 

“Fine,” Danny says, “Physically I’m a little worse for wear, but emotionally I’m good.”

 

Steve lets out a long breath and Danny sees his shoulders relax a little. Danny knows Steve won’t fully relax until Danny’s fixed up and possibly swaddled in a blanket with a panic button around his neck, but Danny will take what he can get. Steve’s overprotectiveness can sometimes be out of control, but mostly it makes Danny happy and in the right circumstances, turned on. Thinking of overprotectiveness, it’s then that Danny remembers what Santino said about Joe. He didn’t tell Steve that part when he quickly filled him in at the house.

 

“Hey, Steve, I want to tell you something but I need you to not crash the car when I do,” Danny warns him.

 

Steve shoots him a concerned look, “If your aim was to make sure I stay calm you’ve already failed.”

 

“You don’t need to panic,” Danny says, patting Steve’s thigh.

 

“I’m not panicking,” Steve says defensively.

 

“But you’re not calm?” Danny needles.

 

“Yes,” Steve says.

 

“Yes you are calm or yes you’re not calm,” Danny tries to hide his grin.

 

“For fuck’s sake, Danny, will you just tell me,” Steve snaps; he’s riled up but in the comfortable way he gets when they’re not fighting about anything important.

 

“Listen,” Danny says, sobering a little, “Joe wasn’t involved in the kidnapping.”

 

“Yeah, I kind of figured that,” Steve frowns, then looks suspicious,  “But what makes you so sure?”

 

“Santino said he talked to Joe after the whole restaurant incident and that after he had a few drinks he told Santino a lot about us,” Danny says with a wince, waiting for Steve to explode.

 

There’s a second of quiet before Steve hits the steering wheel and shouts, “Motherfucker!”

 

“I know,” Danny squeezes Steve’s thigh.

 

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Steve says, hands tight enough on the steering wheel that it starts to creak.

 

“You could, but babe, I’m not too keen on you being in jail for the rest of your life and I’m warning you now I will not do conjugal visits, I’m not having sex in some skeevy prison trailer where hundreds of other people, convicts, lowlifes, have also had sex, just thinking about it is making my balls try to crawl up inside my body,” Danny says with a shudder.

 

“That’s…” Steve pauses, “An excellent argument against killing him. But Danny, he’s got to pay.”

 

“I completely agree with that,” Danny says, “I was thinking maybe we arrest him on conspiracy charges. He might not get convicted, but it’ll make his life hell for a while.”

 

Steve glances at Danny, looking halfway proud and turned on.

 

“I like the way you think,” Steve says.

 

“I keep telling ya, babe, I am the brains of this outfit,” Danny says with a shit-eating grin.

 

+

 

There’s a bit of a wait at the hospital because Danny’s injuries aren’t serious which makes Steve huff and complain and it’s only Danny’s threats that make Steve not hassle the nurses. Danny’s never met a more impatient person. Danny wishes he had handcuffs to cuff Steve to him and make sure that Steve can’t go cause trouble without Danny there to defuse him. Danny settles with holding Steve’s hand which makes Steve’s eyes go all soft and bright and loving and Danny adores how simple it is to make Steve happy. Danny can feel his eyes drooping as they wait. Fuck he’s tired now.

 

Finally a doctor approaches with a clipboard and a put upon attitude about him.

 

“Detective Williams,” the doctor says and his voice is familiar. When he looks up Danny sees brown eyes that he’ll never forget and the recognition in them only further confirms what he already knows. This is the doctor that was in the warehouse.

 

“You,” Danny says, an accusation.

 

The doctor looks stricken, then drops his clipboard and rabbits. Danny chases after him, heedless of Steve’s shouts or the exhaustion that plagued him just seconds earlier. The doctor didn’t have much of a head start and Danny catches up with him quickly, slamming him into the wall before he can turn the corner into another corridor.

 

“Danny,” Steve says, coming up beside him, “What’s going on?”

 

“This is the doctor from the warehouse, the one who did the IV,” Danny says, trying to keep his voice steady. Danny can’t decide whether this is good luck or bad luck, running into the doctor the same day that Santino tried to kill him but he has definitely reached his limit for bullshit today.

 

“You sure?” Steve asks, though he doesn’t sound skeptical.

 

“Yeah,” Danny nods.

 

Hospital security approach arrive then, but Steve handles them, flashes his badge and explains what happened. The doctor doesn’t even try to deny it, just hangs his head in defeat. They take the doctor off to be held in the security office until HPD get there.

 

“You sure you don’t want to book ‘em, Danno,” Steve says with a cheeky grin.

 

“Do not, ok? Just fucking do not,” Danny responds, his sense of humour completely failing after everything that’s happened today.

 

Steve wraps Danny in an embrace and kisses his forehead.

 

“Sorry,” Steve says quietly.

 

“It’s ok, I’m just,” Danny struggles to find a word that properly encompasses everything he’s feeling, “Done.”

 

“Yeah,” Steve agrees.

 

The hospital ensures another doctor sees Danny quickly. The doctor is an older woman who is probably way over qualified to treat a simple broken nose. It doesn’t take long to set his nose and clean his grazed knuckles. The doctor tells him that he can expect quite a lot of bruising around his nose and that an ice-pack when he gets home will help stop some of it. She writes him a prescription for more painkillers.

 

Danny’s just about to leave when the Chief of Medicine and a few other important looking people arrive. They all rush to apologise and placate him, clearly wishing to avoid a lawsuit. They all swear ignorance at the doctors after hours work. Danny’s not interested in suing, they’ve arrested the guy responsible and as far as he’s concerned the buck stops there. He says thank you and ducks them quickly, just wanting to go home and not deal with anymore shit.

 

As they climb into the truck and Steve starts the engine he looks over at Danny.

 

“Can we please have less drama from now on?” Steve says, looking tired, “This last week has been the worst.”

 

“Babe,” Danny says with a sigh, “Knowing us we’ll be held captive by pirates next week. Maybe have bombs strapped to us.”

 

“Danno, please to not tempt fate by listing anymore things,” Steve says, only partly joking.

  
“Believe me, if being superstitious would stop us from getting into all the shit that we get into, I would be throwing salt over my shoulder every damn hour.”


	19. Chapter 19

By the next morning Danny’s developed racoon eyes which Rebecca playfully teases him about. It’s the way she always deals with trauma, making jokes and keeping the tone light. Danny finds it comforting and Rebecca has an uncanny ability to avoid making fun of the really important things. She knows where the lines are and she never crosses them. Danny’s always loved that about her and when he was still living in Jersey he would always go to her if he needed cheering up. Joanna has always been more serious and her issues with IBS aside, she’s a good person to talk to if you need help figuring out a problem.

 

Steve questions the doctor that afternoon. Danny observes but can’t be a part of the investigation being the victim and all. The doctor asks for a plea bargain immediately, willing to give up all the people who pay him for after-hours, off the book doctoring. He claims he only did it because he had gambling debts to repay, but Danny couldn’t give less of a fuck about his sob story. Danny’s never had time for criminals trying to justify their actions. Everyone has an excuse and Danny’s probably heard them all by now. He doesn’t care how someone’s bad choices made them feel like they had to break the law. It’s all on them, their bad choices leading to more, worse choices.

 

The investigation into Danny shooting Santino is open and shut, helped along by the fact that Santino filmed it on his phone which clearly shows his gun pointing at Danny and his threats to kill him. Chin and Kono do the necessary paperwork closing Danny’s kidnapping case too. It’s rare that things are tied up so neatly but Danny supposes neat is probably a strong word since it took being threatened in his own home by two lunatics. But still, it’s a relief to have it all over.

 

Joe is furious when he’s arrested for conspiracy. Steve made sure to arrest him on the Naval base too and Joe, so furious his face goes puce, starts screaming profanities and homophobic slurs. Danny carefully watches the faces of the other Naval officers around them and is pleased to see that most of them find Joe’s outburst displeasing. Whether it’s the homophobia or the complete loss of control, Danny can’t say, but he’s sure that even if Joe gets off he’s made his name crap in the Navy and that’s payback enough for Danny. He’s not a fan of revenge, he’s heard too many people try to justify their shitty actions that way and all it creates is more violence. But Danny is a fan of justice and people getting what’s coming to them and seeing Joe go down is satisfying.

 

There’s a change in Danny’s family over the next few day, some of the normal mania that happens when they all get together dies down but it’s replaced with something that Danny can only think of as warm. They all seem to be going out of their way to be nice, but it’s not forced or fake. If there’s one thing Danny can credit his family with, it’s putting aside personal shit when things get serious and banding together no matter what, and they’re all rallying around him now. 

 

They do touristy things for the rest of the week, picking up Grace for two afternoons and giving her some much needed time with Danny’s family. Danny is starting to get better, still feeling a little weak and still extremely tired, but he’s able to be out and about with his family. Grace stays with them for the weekend again, Danny having worked it out with Rachel. Danny’s family leave early Monday morning and it’s the last chance they’ll get to see Grace.

 

They have a barbecue on Saturday and Chin and Kono come. Kono immediately hits it off with Rebecca and Joanna and Chin seems happy enough talking to Danny’s parents and Grace. From the way he and Grace are laughing Danny can only guess that they’re telling stories about when Danny was a kid. Steve mans the barbecue and Danny stands by him, observing the scene before him. His old family and his new family come together.

 

Hank leaves Lucy and Chin talking and comes over.

 

“Can I talk to you for a minute, Danny?” Hank says, with a look on his face that Danny hasn’t seen since he was a teenager. It’s his ‘serious conversation’ face and even at thirty six it makes Danny want to tremble in his boots and immediately run through all the things he could have done wrong to warrant The Face.

 

They walk to the edge of the yard overlooking the sea where no one can overhear them and Danny waits for his father to speak. It doesn’t take long, his dad isn’t one for drawing out tension.

 

“Danny,” Hank says with a sigh, “You know I’m not good with this whole emotions stuff.”

 

Danny doesn’t say anything, not sure where this is going.

 

“You know, growing up you were always sensitive, sometimes more than the girls,” his father says with a small smile, “I worried a lot about how you’d cope around other boys, but then you grew that mouth of yours and I knew you’d be ok.”

 

Danny laughs a little. It’s true enough, he learnt to be a mouthy jackass as a defence mechanism. Most people would probably be surprised to find he’d actually mellowed out a lot since he was a kid.

 

“I know you know this, but the worst thing that can happen to a father is for their child to get hurt,” Hank says, growing more serious.

 

“Yeah,” Danny agrees. From the moment Grace was born he was simultaneously ecstatic and terrified, and he knew without a doubt that his heart was going to get broken a million times over, every time she got hurt. Just the first cry after her first breath had Danny bawling, not just from happiness at meeting his baby girl, but because this was his child’s first experience of life and she already sounded distraught. Rachel used to laugh at him sometimes, when she’d cry those really soul-searing cries that babies manage and they’d always make him tearful.

 

“It’s not that I don’t believe you, son,” his father continues, looking pained, “Maybe I didn’t have the full picture, and to be honest, I didn’t want to because I couldn’t take knowing how much you were hurting. Rebecca took care of that.”

 

Understanding what his dad’s talking about now has Danny’s heart speeding up. He doesn’t have another confrontation about IBS in him, not now, not when his family are about to leave and the past few days have been so great.

 

“Pops,” Danny says, trying to warn him off.

 

“No, Danny, you need to hear this,” Hank says, then takes a deep fortifying breath, “I thought that by telling you to man up that it would go away, I couldn’t imagine what it was - is - actually like for you. I was too damn stubborn and it took your sister raining down hell on me to finally see it. And Danny? I’m so damn sorry.”

 

Danny’s not sure what to do, can barely breathe. He’s imagined what it would be like, to finally have the support from his family. He’d hold those thoughts like a blanket around him in his low moment, before Steve, when he was alone in his rathole apartment and in so much pain he could barely think. Then he’d stop himself thinking about it because it hurt too much.

 

“I’m so proud of you, Danny,” his dad says, getting teary.

 

That’s Danny done. He hugs his father and tries not to make a sound as he cries. His father wraps his arms around him and hold Danny while he shakes with the force of his emotions. Danny takes a few deep breaths, trying to get control back, embarrassed. When they part he sees his dad has also been crying and he feels better. They both roughly scrub at their faces and Danny wonders whether that’s learned behaviour or some genetic thing going on that gives them similar body language.

 

“Thank you,” Danny says and his dad claps him on the shoulder and smiles. 

 

“Joanna’s pride won’t let her admit she was wrong,” Hank says, “You don’t get to have pride when it comes to your kids’ happiness. But I think if we give her some space she’ll come around in her own way.”

 

“Yeah,” Danny nods, knowing what his father says is true. Joanna will want to save face but Danny will happily settle with her just not judging him or bringing it up. He’s already gotten more support from his family than he ever thought possible.

 

His dad clears his throat and nods back towards his mom before walking over. Danny takes a second to regroup before going back to Steve. His sisters and Kono get caught staring and quickly go back to speaking to each other, so any hope that his dad’s and his exchange went unnoticed is dead in the water. 

 

Steve looks worried when Danny gets back and he sways towards Danny like he wants to envelop him but holds back, aware that Danny won’t want a big deal made.

 

“You ok?” Steve asks instead, “What happened?”

 

“I’m fine,” Danny says with a watery smile, knowing that if he talks about it now he’ll just start crying again, “I’ll tell you later, babe, but it’s all good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read, commented or gave kudos. I never thought I'd write this much or get such a lovely response and I am so touched.
> 
> The 7th of March will be a year since I first posted All Encompassing and I thought in celebration of that I'd like to take prompts from you guys for drabbles or one-shots based in this universe. You can either leave a comment here or send me an ask on tumblr (http://awolfling.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Thanks again!


End file.
